The two Romanians, Dumitru Calin and Oprea Vidiu Simon, arrested in connection with the alleged Rs 20 lakh bank fraud…
Representational image (Photo: Getty images)
The two Romanians, Dumitru Calin and Oprea Vidiu Simon, arrested in connection with the alleged Rs 20 lakh bank fraud in Kolkata, had visited Nepal and Goa several times, informed sources of Kolkata Police said on Sunday.
“We are trying to establish if the duo had any connection with any other groups in Nepal and Goa. “On 19 February, Oprea Vidiu Simon had come to Kolkata. He went to Nepal in June.
Dumitru Calin accompanied him in his next trip to Nepal in July. Their call lists are also being examined,” a senior officer of the antifraud section of Kolkata Police said.
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The two accused, however, told investigators that their Nepal trip was just to enjoy the country as a “tourist”.
Sources close to the cyber cell of the city police said that in 2016, a bank fraud racket had been busted by the Nepal police and the involvement of some Romanians had come to light.
A senior officer of the antifraud section said that all angles were being explored and the purpose of their trips to Nepal is also being investigated in view of the past cases of bank fraud that had been detected in Nepal.
Meanwhile, it has been learned that the two Romanians had stayed at a Kasba hotel from 30 April to 7 May. They allegedly hired an autorickshaw to conduct a recce of the city’s ATMs, a source said.
Police are now trying to identify the autorickshaw driver whom the duo had hired, to elicit information from him on the two accused. On Saturday, a team of Anti-Rowdy section of Kolkata Police visited the hotel at Kasba, where the two Romanians had stayed.
The hotel authorities said that police had seized the hard disc of the CCTV and also collected information about when the duo checked in and checked out of the hotel. The police also sought information regarding their visas and passports.
According to investigators, Oprea Vidiu Simon told them that he used to work as carpenter in Romania, But greed and sheer desire to make easy money drew him into the bank fraud racket. Police have already seized 26 fake cards and Rs 1, 79, 000 in cash from them.
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