A 24-year-old man from Arlington was arrested Tuesday after Texas authorities discovered approximately $120,000 in cash and gold linked to a scam targeting an elderly woman in Longview.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Anuj Ashishbhai Modi was stopped by a trooper on Interstate 20 for following a semi-truck too closely. During the traffic stop, the trooper noticed Modi appeared unusually nervous.
An arrest affidavit states that the trooper asked Modi to step out of his vehicle and sit in the front passenger seat of the patrol car while a warning citation was prepared. When questioned about his travel, Modi told the trooper he had been visiting his uncle in Longview since that morning.
However, a license plate reader showed Modi’s vehicle had only arrived near Longview around 3 p.m., raising further suspicion.
The trooper informed Modi that his nervous behavior suggested something else might be happening and asked if there were any narcotics or large sums of cash in the vehicle. Modi denied having either. When asked for permission to search the car, Modi hesitated and ultimately declined consent.
Authorities then called in a K-9 unit. The police dog alerted to Modi’s vehicle, providing probable cause for a search. During the inspection, the trooper discovered a black box hidden under the front passenger seat containing large amounts of cash and gold items with an estimated value of $120,000.
Modi was detained and transported to the DPS office in Tyler for questioning. During the interview, he told investigators that he had collected the box from an elderly woman in Longview and provided her address to authorities.
Investigators later contacted the woman, who reportedly confirmed she had been targeted by a scam. According to the affidavit, the group behind the scheme falsely claimed to represent a federal company and convinced the woman that she owed money.
Modi told investigators that a friend living in India had instructed him to pick up the package in Longview and deliver it to Dallas, where another person would collect it from him. After consenting to a search of his phone, officers also found a photo showing another $30,000 in cash. Modi reportedly said he had been told to pick up that package from someone in Big Spring as well.
Authorities believe Modi was working as part of a larger organized fraud network.
He was arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and financial abuse of the elderly. Modi was later booked into the Smith County Jail as the investigation continues.
