West Bengal Police have arrested a Chennai-based man for allegedly masterminding a sophisticated cyber fraud that duped a private hospital in Kolkata of crores of rupees by impersonating its top management on WhatsApp.

The accused, identified as Sikandar Bacha, was arrested in Chennai and brought to Bidhannagar Police Station on transit remand, officials confirmed on Saturday. Police have so far recovered Rs 30.72 lakh from the defrauded amount, while efforts are on to trace the remaining money.

How the Scam Unfolded

According to investigators, earlier this month Atanu Mukherjee, vice-president of a private hospital located in Baguiati, north Kolkata, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The sender’s display picture showed that of the hospital’s managing director, Prashant Sharma.

The impostor claimed that he had stopped using his old phone number and would communicate through the new number for all official matters. Believing the message to be genuine, Mukherjee responded.

The following day, Mukherjee received another message from the same number directing him to urgently transfer a large sum of money from the hospital’s account to a specified bank account. Assuming it to be a direct instruction from the managing director, he proceeded with the transaction.

It was only later that Mukherjee realised that the hospital had been cheated through a CEO impersonation cyber scam.

Arrest and Recovery

Mukherjee subsequently reported the incident to the Baguiati police, triggering a thorough investigation. During the probe, police traced the bank account used to siphon off the funds to Tamil Nadu.

A special police team was dispatched, leading to the arrest of Sikandar Bacha in Chennai. He was produced before a court after being brought to Kolkata on transit remand and has been remanded to seven days of police custody.

“The investigation is ongoing to determine whether others were involved in the crime. Financial trails are being examined to recover the remaining amount,” a senior officer of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate said.

Police have confirmed that Rs 30.72 lakh has been recovered so far ,and further recoveries are expected as the investigation progresses.