Fake call centre kingpin wanted by ED, CID, Kolkata Police, held

KOLKATA: Kunal Gupta, who cops say is the kingpin behind multiple international fake call centres in Kolkata and Bidhannagar, and who is wanted in different cases by law enforcement agencies including ED, Kolkata Police and CID, was arrested by Bidhannagar Police outside CGO Complex in Salt Lake on Saturday, moments after he had come out after an ED questioning. Bidhannagar cops didn't press for his police remand, but state CID did and were awarded six days of custody by a Salt Lake court.

Calcutta High Court had passed an order on June 26 asking ED not to take any coercive measure against Gupta till August 28, which prompted him to return to India from Dubai and appear before ED four times between August 11 and 16. But when he and his wife went to the HC to submit a petition on Thursday, they were rounded up by ED for questioning.

The HC questioned the manner of arrest, and hearing the case on Friday, asked Gupta and his wife Nandini to be interrogated by ED on Friday and CID on Saturday. The court set a Monday date to hear the matter..

The Electronic Complex police station, however, had an arrest warrant issued against him in connection with a fraud call centre that cops busted last August. Gupta was charged with IPC sections related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

"My client was following the court order and was cooperating with all agencies. Then on what ground was he arrested?" asked Gupta's counsel Rajdeep Banerjee.

Public prosecutor Shabbir Ali told the court that Gupta had a lookout notice against him and could not be arrested despite several raids for months. "He was absconding, and the state CID has received a report from the FBI, along with interviews and statements of victims from abroad who had been cheated by Gutpa through his call centres," said Ali.

Judicial Magistrate Somnath Das sent him to six days of CID custody.


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