Kolkata, February 11 A college student was arrested in Bhubaneswar on charges of defrauding the son of the Director (Security) and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma of Rs 30,000 in an online paying guest (PG) accommodation scam, an officer said on Wednesday.
The student was brought from the Odisha capital to Kolkata for further questioning, he said.
According to the officer, the complainant, Piyush Verma, had been searching online for PG accommodation in Delhi when he came across a website offering several rental options.
After selecting a property, he contacted the website authorities and was allegedly asked to pay Rs 30,000 in advance online to confirm the booking. He transferred the amount to a bank account provided on the website.
However, despite waiting for a considerable period, he did not receive any confirmation. Attempts to contact the mobile number listed on the website also went unanswered, the officer said.
Realising that he had been cheated, Piyush Verma lodged a complaint with the cyber police station at Lalbazar, the headquarters of the Kolkata Police.
"Using the bank account details linked to the transaction, we traced the accused to Bhubaneswar and arrested him on Tuesday. He is being questioned to ascertain his role and whether others are involved," the officer said.
Police said further investigation is underway to uncover the extent of the alleged fraud.
Manoj Verma was appointed the Director (Security) of West Bengal last month, after he served as the Kolkata Police Commissioner.
