In 1st digi-arrest conviction, cops cited 108 victims, 100-crore loss
Dipankar Chatterjee (67) remembers Oct 18 last year. "The first call came from men posing as customer service, threatening to cut off my phone connection as I reportedly committed a crime linked to Mumbai police." For the next three days, Chatterjee — a retired civil assistant engineer with the state panchayat and rural development — was put under 24/7 surveillance by the accused. "It is a nightmare I will not forget.
" He is one of the 108 victims cited in court by investigators.
Unlike many others, Chatterjee and his wife literally had to live on the streets to pay off the Rs 41 lakh that was extorted from them. With no way out, he and his wife sold their Mankundu residence to raise the money they borrowed to pay the fraudsters. His wife suffers from a terminal illness, and the family had nothing left for her treatment.
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"In Feb, we shifted to Ramkrishna Mission's old-age shelter at Barisha.
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On April 1, when I went to court to provide my statement, I met another couple who lost Rs 1 crore," said Chatterjee.
Chatterjee says he was not aware of the sentencing until informed by TOI. "While it is satisfying to see the accused being convicted, it will be a huge relief if we can get back at least a portion of the lost money. I was asked to contact the Ranaghat Cyber Cell a month after I gave my evidence, but nothing materialised.
I understand the importance of the probe and conviction, but they need to understand my plight. We are old, and even buying basic medicines is now a challenge," said Chatterjee.
Partha Kumar Mukhopadhyay, the original complainant of the case in which the nine accused have been convicted, had a similar experience. The Kalyani resident received the fraud calls on Oct 19 last year. "Technically, both extortions were carried out at the same time," said an officer.
Mukherjee got a WhatsApp call and someone calling himself SI Hemraj Koli of Andheri PS claimed Mukherjee was involved in a financial fraud.
"He threatened that if I didn't comply with his instructions, he would get me and my wife arrested. He compelled me to deposit Rs 1 crore between Oct 19 and Nov 11," Mukherjee said. Mukherjee said he was "satisfied" with the probe and was "waiting eagerly" to know if he can get back some of the money.
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