Kolkata honeytrap racket: Bangladeshi mastermind of cross-border crime ring held; victims drugged, robbed via dating sites
KOLKATA: A Bangladeshi national, the mastermind behind a cross-border honeytrap and robbery racket, was arrested by Bidhannagar police in connection with a series of crimes.
Men were lured through matrimonial websites and dating apps and were robbed after being drugged in hotel rooms.
The arrest follows the earlier apprehension of a woman on Sunday, accused of drugging and looting a man at a hotel near the city airport on July 1.
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On Thursday night, Md Mahmuddul Hasan (40), a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, was picked up by police near Dum Dum Junction railway station. He was remanded to six days of police custody after being produced before a district court.
Hasan was accused of receiving and smuggling stolen mobile phones across the border into Bangladesh, which were allegedly looted from victims by women operatives of the racket.
The arrest came after the interrogation of one Rama Sau, alias Jia Singh, who was arrested from her Habra residence on Sunday.
She allegedly posed as a prospective bride on a Bengali matrimonial website and lured Sudip Bose, a resident of Leningarh in New Barrackpore, to a hotel near Kolkata airport on July 1.
In his complaint, Bose said he became unconscious after drinking tea offered by the woman in the hotel room. When he regained consciousness, his mobile phone and wallet were missing.
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During police interrogation, the woman revealed that she passed on the stolen mobile phones to Hasan. Hasan admitted to receiving at least 10 such phones from her, which he smuggled into Bangladesh for resale.
He also confessed to staying at various lodges during his visits, including his most recent stay at a guest house on Park Street.
'The case points to a broader network involving cross-border criminal activity and the exploitation of digital platforms to target victims. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the racket and their operations on both sides of the border,' said a senior officer of Bidhannagar commissionerate.
'The users should maintain utmost caution while interacting with strangers on matrimonial and dating platforms.'
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