Odisha teen dupes Kolkata cancer patient of Rs 49L, held

ROURKELA: A 19-year-old Rourkela boy has been arrested for allegedly duping an elderly cancer patient in Kolkata of Rs 49 lakh through digital arrest fraud, while his elder brother, complicit in the crime, remains at large, police said Monday.
The accused, Chandra Prakash Tulsyan, and his brother, Shibam Tulsyan (25), contacted Mala Goswami (73), a retired govt employee, on Feb 14. They claimed a suspicious parcel containing her identification documents and foreign currency had been intercepted, demanding Rs 49 lakh to prevent legal action, putting her in "digital arrest".
Goswami, who lives alone and was recovering from chemotherapy, transferred the amount via RTGS under duress. The fraudsters then imposed a week-long "digital house arrest", threatening her against leaving her residence until Feb 20.
The scam came to light when Goswami's son, based in Bengaluru, grew concerned about his mother's confined status and alerted neighbours. Following complaints filed with the National Cyber Crime Portal and New Alipore police in Kolkata, an investigation was launched on April 11.
A five-member police team from New Alipore, collaborating with their Uditnagar counterparts, arrested Chandra Prakash, a BCom student, from here on May 3. "We provided necessary assistance to Kolkata Police team in apprehending the accused," said D Lakra, inspector in-charge, Uditnagar police station.
While the accused was granted bail the same day, the court has restricted his movements to the New Alipore police station area for two months and mandated daily evening reporting. Meanwhile, his brother Shibam, a CA aspirant, is on the run.
Police have frozen bank accounts of the brothers and continue their search for Shibam.