On Saturday, Delhi Police apprehended Bilal Ahmad Lone, a 33-year-old man from Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, for his alleged involvement in multiple cheating cases. His arrest followed a detention order issued against him on December 13, as he had been evading authorities for some time.
Lone is described as a habitual offender who had been exploiting paramilitary personnel, particularly those stationed in Jammu and nearby areas. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Vikram Singh, Lone targeted these officers by offering them fake bank loans for vehicle purchases. He would either obtain loans using forged documents in the names of paramilitary personnel or sell vehicles to them that he had acquired using loans from banks, with fake No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
The Jammu and Kashmir government had issued a detention order under the Public Safety Act, 1978, after Lone’s criminal activities came to light. His case was approved by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir’s Home Department on December 17. A special team from Delhi Police Crime Branch, led by Inspector Gaurav Choudhary and supervised by ACP Pankaj Arora, tracked him down following intelligence gathered from the Anantnag police.
Lone was located after two days of surveillance, both technical and on the ground, and was arrested near Jama Masjid in Delhi. The police are continuing their investigation into the multiple frauds he is suspected of committing, which primarily involve defrauding vulnerable paramilitary officers.