The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has named Kolkata as the Indian city with the highest number of high-value economic offences in 2023, recording 564 cases where victims lost ₹1 crore or more.
The figure represents a staggering rise from just 39 such cases in 2020, when the pandemic began. In comparison, Delhi reported 19 cases of losses above ₹50 crore and 11 cases exceeding ₹100 crore — but none in Kolkata crossed the ₹50-crore mark.
Of Kolkata’s total, 391 cases involved losses between ₹1 crore and ₹10 crore, and another 173 cases exceeded ₹10 crore, revealing a sharp escalation in both frequency and scale.
“The accused did their homework thoroughly before striking,” said a chartered accountant assisting the city police’s Economic Offences Wing at Lalbazar, adding that the city’s financial ecosystem has become a prime target for sophisticated scams.
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Cyber Frauds Dominate, Traditional Crimes Decline
The NCRB data shows that cyber frauds accounted for most of the high-value crimes, reflecting how the city’s digital transformation has also widened its vulnerability.
Kolkata Police registered 1,544 total economic offences in 2023, down from 2,013 in 2022, but analysts say the dip in overall numbers masks a deeper threat — the rise in case value and precision of cybercriminals.
Within these, 1,347 cases involved forgery and cheating, 189 were criminal breach of trust, and 8 related to counterfeiting.
Post-Pandemic Patterns and the Rise of Digital Deceit
Kolkata’s spike in ₹1-crore-plus scams follows a pandemic-era pattern. In 2021, the city saw 297 such cases, nearly double the previous year. By 2023, that figure had soared 90%, with experts attributing the trend to the digitization of banking, remote transactions, and investment platforms during and after lockdowns.
“Fraudsters today blend financial expertise with digital access,” said a senior police officer. “They exploit trust, technology, and timing — especially among individuals and businesses adapting to online systems.”
Call for Dedicated Anti-Fraud Units
As investigations continue in 5,096 financial fraud cases from past years, Kolkata Police are pushing for a dedicated anti-bank fraud police station, citing an overburdened detective department.
“We need specialized units for financial and cyber crimes,” a senior Lalbazar officer said. “Our current teams handle too many overlapping cases, slowing down investigations.”
Charge sheets were filed in 1,064 cases in 2023, with 353 of them new and the rest carried over from earlier years.
The data paints a sobering picture: even as total fraud cases dip, Kolkata’s scams are getting richer, sharper, and harder to trace.
