Kolkata Court Sentences 9 Cyber Scammers to Life Imprisonment for Extortion Crimes

Strategic Insights -

In a major crackdown on cybercrime, a trial court in Kalyani, Nadia district, Bengal, has convicted and sentenced nine scammers to life imprisonment for extorting Rs 1 crore from a Ranaghat resident by threatening him with "digital arrest". The court agreed with the prosecution's charge that such crimes were equivalent to "economic terrorism". The nine convicts, including a woman, were part of a larger gang that allegedly amassed Rs 100 crore by cheating 108 people across India.

Key Takeaways:

  • The trial court sentenced nine cyber scammers to life imprisonment for extorting Rs 1 crore from a Ranaghat resident.
  • The scammers were part of a larger gang that allegedly amassed Rs 100 crore by cheating 108 people across India.
  • The court agreed with the prosecution's charge that such crimes were equivalent to "economic terrorism".
  • The defense indicated they would appeal against the conviction in the HC.
  • The police seized numerous passbooks, ATM cards, SIM cards, and mobile phones during the operation.
  • A detailed analysis of beneficiary accounts and phone numbers led the police to uncover the sophisticated network.
  • The chargesheet ran into 2,600 pages and 29 witnesses from four different states testified physically before the judge.
  • Special prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee highlighted the ordeal of other victims of the gang and stressed that such frauds amount to economic terrorism.
  • The gang had cheated victims including a retired professor and a retired state government engineer, transferring their hard-earned money outside the country.

Statistics:

  • The gang allegedly amassed Rs 100 crore by cheating 108 people across India.
  • The scammers extorted Rs 1 crore from a Ranaghat resident by threatening him with "digital arrest".
  • The police seized numerous passbooks (50+), ATM cards(20+), SIM cards(30+), and mobile phones (200+) during the operation.
  • The chargesheet ran into 2,600 pages.
  • 29 witnesses from four different states testified physically before the judge.

Sources:

  • Dwaipayan Ghosh, "9 cyber scammers get life term for extorting Rs 1 cr", TOI (no date)
  • TOI, "9 cyber scammers get life term for extorting Rs 1 cr", TOI (no date)