Three persons were arrested here for allegedly trying to dupe a 64-year-old man of Rs 5 lakh by impersonating functionaries of the office of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, police said on Friday.

The man, a resident of Kalna in Purba Bardhaman district, lodged a police complaint, alleging that the accused demanded the money on the pretext of a false promise of providing various facilities by "applying political influence", a senior officer said.

Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the three accused at MLA hostel on Thursday, he said.

“They impersonated functionaries of the office of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and misled the complainant with forged documents. They demanded Rs 5 lakh as part payment on the pretext of a false promise of providing assorted facilities by applying political influence," the officer said.

According to the complaint, the accused used a WhatsApp number with Banerjee’s photograph being used as a profile picture to establish credibility and deceive the man.

The case was registered at Kalna police station on December 25 under the various sections of the BNS Act, 2023, and the investigation is underway, the officer added.

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