The Delhi Police has dismantled an online investment fraud syndicate that allegedly swindled a senior resident from Safdarjung Hospital out of over Rs29 lakh. The victim, Ashish Lakhote, filed a complaint on April 27, detailing his financial loss under the pretense of online share market investments. Initially registered under Sections 419 and 420 of the IPC, the case was later expanded to include Sections 120-B and 34, related to criminal conspiracy.
The police apprehended four suspects: Rohit Chhikara (38), Varun (23), Manish Mann (29), and Uday Mittal (37). Chhikara, a Dwarka resident, holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication along with an MBA. Varun, a dropout from Pathankot, has a diploma in Russian and Ukrainian languages, while Mann, from Rohini, has completed both a BSc and an MBA. Mittal has completed only Class XII.
Lakhote’s encounter with the fraudsters began when he was invited to join a firm called Randstad India Company Pvt Ltd. After being added to a Telegram group named “Brand Provoke Digital Marketing with VIP888,” he underwent tutorials and was assigned tasks such as hotel reviews. His account was set up on the “OKX Exchange,” where he was instructed to make prepaid investments into various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. When he attempted to withdraw his funds, he found himself unable to do so, ultimately losing Rs29,55,696 through a series of transactions.
The police launched a comprehensive investigation, focusing on the financial trail and technical aspects of the case. Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West District, Rohit Meena, stated, “The money trail revealed that Rs29,55,696 was debited from the complainant’s bank account and credited to 10 different bank accounts.”
Further analysis indicated that Rs10 lakh of the total amount was deposited in RBL Bank in Dwarka Sector 7, an account belonging to Chhikara. Subsequent withdrawals of Rs8 lakh and Rs2.8 lakh were made from RBL Bank branches in Noida and Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.
CCTV footage from the Noida bank helped identify Chhikara as one of the individuals making cash withdrawals. Raids conducted across Delhi-NCR led to the arrests of Chhikara and Varun, who confessed to operating on a commission basis alongside Mann. Further investigation resulted in Mann’s arrest, during which police recovered Rs3.98 lakh in cash, along with nine smartphones, nine debit cards, and two bank cheque books.
DCP Meena revealed Mann’s connection to a person referred to as ‘A’ in Kazakhstan, where cash provided by Mittal was converted into USDT (cryptocurrency) and transferred to ‘A’s crypto wallet. It was discovered that around Rs4.5 crore in defrauded funds had been converted and transferred in the last two months, with ongoing efforts to apprehend additional suspects.