Kolkata Police arrests Maharashtra fraudster for embezzlement over crores

A cunning fraudster named Saurav Kharate has been targeting foreign currency exchange businessmen in major Indian cities. He lured them to luxury hotels with promises of cheap dollars in exchange for cash rupees, only to grab the money and vanish. Operating in Mumbai, Delhi, and now Kolkata, he has swindled over a crore rupees from at least five victims. His latest attempt led to his arrest by Kolkata police at Netaji Subhash International Airport, just as he tried to escape back to Mumbai.

This Maharashtra resident used social media groups to connect with his targets, posing as a fellow businessman to gain their trust. In Kolkata, Saurav contacted a forex trader from the New Market area through a business-focused social media group. He claimed to have plenty of dollars and wanted to sell them for a commission in cash. The trader agreed, and they met at a hotel in Shakespeare Sarani area. Saurav took a bag containing ten lakh rupees from the trader, pretending to fetch the dollars from his room upstairs. He asked the victim to wait in the lobby, but never returned.

When the trader checked with the hotel reception, he discovered no room was booked under Saurav's name, prompting him to file a police complaint at Shakespeare Sarani thana. Police investigated the social media group and found Saurav's identity. They found he was targeting another forex businessman in Kolkata but failed when the potential victim grew suspicious and didn't show up. Sensing trouble, Saurav headed to the Kolkata airport to fly back to Mumbai, but Shakespeare Sarani police nabbed him there. Interrogation is ongoing to uncover more details about his scams in other cities, and authorities believe this arrest could help recover some of the stolen money.