An elderly woman from Goalpokhar in North Dinajpur district has alleged that the son of a Trinamool Congress gram panchayat member withdrew a portion of the funds she received under the state government’s housing scheme.

Parbati Mondal of Udaypur village filed a complaint with the Islampur subdivisional officer.

Parbati, who is in her sixties, said in the complaint that ₹60,000 was transferred to her bank account by the state government on December 31. The following day, Raju Roy, the son of Minati Roy (a Trinamool member of the local Sahapur 2 gram panchayat) took Parbati’s fingerprint on a biometric scanner.

“Soon, I found that ₹10,000 had been withdrawn from my account. When I went to the bank, employees told me that the money had been withdrawn using my fingerprint through the biometric machine. I have filed a complaint with the SDO and want action,” said the woman.

Raju could not be contacted. His mother Minati denied the charge.

“The complainant is a BJP supporter. She is trying to falsely implicate my son to malign my image,” said the panchayat member.

Islampur SDO Priya Yadav said she would look into the case.

At least nine beneficiaries of the state government’s rural housing scheme filed complaints, saying amounts ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹27,000 were withdrawn from their bank accounts by fraudsters.

Officers of the cyber crime police station in the Islampur police district said they were probing the case.

“During preliminary investigation, we have come to know that fraudsters are approaching senior citizens who have received money for the construction of houses. On the pretext of processing the transfer or updating KYC, they collect fingerprints of the beneficiaries and withdraw the money. People should be on alert,” said a police officer.

Surajit Sen, North Dinajpur district vice-president of the BJP, who is based in Islampur, demanded prompt action by the police and the administration.

“A section of Trinamool leaders and supporters is cheating the beneficiaries and making money. The police and the administration have to stop it,” said Sen.

Kanaialal Agarwala, the district TMC president, said the police were taking necessary steps. “The BJP is indulging in politics. The police are probing the case and all those involved in the fraud will be brought to the book,” he said.

The police in Islampur arrested Subhendu Biswas and Monojit Biswas for allegedly siphoning off the funds of the housing scheme. “Both were produced in a court in Islampur today (on Tuesday) and remanded in police custody for five days,” said Sanjay Bhowal, a government lawyer.