Kolkata, March 31 The cybercrime division of West Bengal Police on Tuesday arrested Kolkata-based industrialist Pawan Kumar Ruia in connection with a Rs 600 crore cyber scam.
Ruia, the founder-chairman of the Ruia Group, who once earned the name of “takeover-cum-tycoon by taking over several public and private sector entities, was under the scanner of cybercrime division sleuths over his involvement in the cyber scam.
Finally, he was arrested by those sleuths in front of a posh hotel at New Town on the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Tuesday evening.
A senior official of the state police informed that the arrest was made in the wake of a case filed by one Swapan Kumar Mandal against Ruia at the Eco Park Police Station under Bidhannagar City Police in 2024.
It is alleged that money sourced through various online frauds across the country entered the different banks held by Ruia and his family members.
Cyber experts initially found traces of Rs 315 crore during the investigation of the complaint. At a later stage, in November last year, the West Bengal Police's cybercrime division filed a suo motu FIR in the matter against Ruia.
The police claimed that the money sources from cyber frauds were parked through as many as 148 shell companies registered in the names of Ruia and many of his family members. The cyber fraud money was deposited in the accounts of all those companies.
At that point in time, the investigating officers also conducted raids and search operations at Ruia's residence. Later, the police claimed that the total forgery amount involved in the matter was around Rs 600 crore.
It is learnt that the bank accounts in which the cyber fraud money was parked were allegedly operated from the Ruia Centre located at 46 Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Kolkata- 17.
Incidentally, Pawan Ruia was arrested by the police in 2016 in a case of theft of railway equipment from the Jessop factory, which the Ruia Group had once taken over. After the Jessop and Dunlop factories owned by him were closed, the state government tried to acquire them.
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