A man from Madhyamgram was arrested on Tuesday for duping a businessman of Rs 7.5 lakh by posing as the chairman of the North Dum Dum Municipality.
Subhajit Ray, 34, a resident of Nabarunpally in Madhyamgram was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the businessman at Airport police station, an officer of Bidhannagar commissionerate said.
An investigating officer said Ray called the businessman on December 26 impersonating the chairman of the North Dum Dum Municipality.
“The caller told him to deposit Rs 7.5 lakh if he wanted to bag tenders from the municipality,” the officer said.
The businessman transferred the amount immediately. But when received no information on any tender or contract from the civic body, he realised that he had been duped, the officer added.
He filed a complaint at Airport police station under whose jurisdiction the headquarters of the civic body is located.
“We mounted electronic surveillance on the number from which the businessman had received the call and started checking the money trail as well,” said the officer.
Based on electronic surveillance, the cops identified the caller as Ray and then zeroed in on his position.
Ray has been charged under various sections of the IPC related to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, fraud and impersonation.
He was produced before a court in Barasat that sent him in police remand for four days.