KOZHIKODE: The police picked up two West Bengal natives and brought them here on Tuesday on a bank fraud complaint filed by a city-based NRI, who was on vacation. They are Ananda Pandey, 24, of Ganges Jute Mill colony, Bansberia, and Mukesh Kumar Gupta, 24, of Shivpur By Lane, Bansberia. Nadakkavu CI Moosa Vallikkadan, who led the police team, said three more of the gang are at large, and they had intensified the search for them.
The NRI from Karaparamba, Palathil Gopinathan, realised that Rs 6,26,000 was withdrawn from his ICICI bank account with YMCA branch when he checked the balance on July 8, 2015. He filed a complaint with the bank and approached the Ombudsman. As per the direction of the Ombudsman, he filed a complaint with the Nadakkavu police on February 5.
The police found that the amount was withdrawn from ICICI bank’s Bansberia branch and later transferred to the accounts of Ananda Pandey and Mukesh Kumar. “The duo was nabbed with the help of cyber cell and Mogra police. The area where these gangs had camped was notorious and known as Mini India,” he said.
When the police checked the account of the accused, it was found that Rs 1.49 lakh was transferred to the account of Mr Pandey and Rs 1.27 lakh to Mr Gupta. The rest of the amount can be recovered after arresting the main culprits, said the police. The duo was arrested on May 26 and produced before Hugli chief judicial magistrate court. They were brought here on a trust warrant the Hugli court issued. They were remanded 14 days in judicial custody.
