A businessman was cheated of Rs 22 lakh by a fraud on the promise of getting him a loan of Rs 30 crore Four scamsters would promise loans and flaunt letters purportedly from Manmohan Singh and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The simplest thing to do to a Calcuttan is to swindle him of lakhs, even crores. Or so it seems, judging by the tactics of a few arrested scamsters, including one picked up on Sunday.

Officers of Bhowanipore police station on Sunday arrested Jayanta Kumar Biswas in connection with a Rs 22-lakh fraud in March 2005. The police said Biswas approached a city-based businessman, Manas Kumar Mitra, and promised to get him a loan of Rs 30 crore from a German finance company, of which he claimed he was an agent.

He asked Biswas to shell out Rs 22 lakh immediately, which would be needed “to bribe officials” who would sanction the loan. “An unsuspecting Mitra, who wanted to set up a manufacturing unit in Falta, readily handed over the amount to Biswas,” said an officer of Bhowanipore police station.

“But the loan failed to materialise. When Mitra contacted Biswas, the fraud handed him two cheques for Rs 50 lakh. Both cheques bounced,” the officer added.

It was then that Mitra realised that he had been taken for a ride and lodged a police complaint in February 2006.

“Biswas had been chargesheeted in the case and a warrant against him was issued by an Alipore court. He was arrested today at his Bhowanipore home and produced before the court,” said Jawed Shamim, the deputy commissioner of police (south).

The police have come across another instance of Calcuttans’ gullibility while interrogating a gang of four scamsters arrested a fortnight ago in connection with another case. They trapped their victims flaunting “letters” from the Prime Minister and an ex-President of India.

The four, who ran Regional Resource Development Organisation, in Rajarhat, and promised loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), had cheated clients of more than Rs 5 crore.

“We were wrong in assuming they had cheated around Rs 60 lakh,” said an investigating officer.

Partho Deb Roy, wife Shivani, son Debojyoti and Saumitro Roy won the confidence of their clients by producing letters purportedly from Manmohan Singh and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, endorsing their credentials. The sleuths contacted the offices of the Prime Minister and the President to verify the authenticity of the letters. “Both offices confirmed that the letters were forged,” said the officer.

Partho and Debojyoti were directors of the organisation. Shivani was the managing director and Saumitro the chief executive officer.

“They collected 15-20 per cent of the loan amounts, which never arrived, as commission,” said Ajoy Kumar, the deputy commissioner (detective department).