Bidhannagar police freeze cryptocurrency worth ₹48 lakh on global platform

Police said money generated from illegal call centres in Bidhannagar, a satellite city of Kolkata and West Bengal’s IT hub, were being remitted using crypto currency

The Bidhannagar city police have frozen cryptocurrency worth ₹48 lakh on Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange platform, officials said on Saturday.

Police said more such accounts are there under the radar and steps are being taken to remit the money back to the government treasury. (Representative Image)

Money generated from illegal call centres in Bidhannagar, a satellite city of Kolkata and the state’s IT hub, were being remitted using crypto currency, police said after a probe.

“A team of officers from Technocity police station had busted an international call centre operating illegally from a housing complex around a month ago and five persons were arrested,” said a senior officer who did not wish to be named.

Investigation revealed that the money generated from the illegal call centre was being siphoned in the form of cryptocurrency through Binance.

Binance is a global cryptocurrency exchange platform which provides users with access to a wide range of digital assets and services. It was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao, and has since become one of the most popular and widely used platforms for trading cryptocurrencies.

“We immediately contacted the Binance Exchange and froze three such accounts. Steps are being taken to remit the money back to the government treasury. More such accounts are there under the radar,” said the officer.

Illegal call centres, which have mushroomed in Bidhannagar are duping people of lakhs of rupees, have kept sleuths on their toes.

While complaints have been pouring in frequently, the police have cracked down on these illegal setups since September last year resulting in busting of dozens of such illegal businesses and arresting a few hundred people.

“At least 25 such illegal call centres were busted between September and December 2022 and nearly 300 people, including employees, were arrested. We have recovered around ₹5 crore,” said a senior officer of the detective department of Bidhananagar police.