Chhinjon Tharchin, a Tibetan national, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) for his involvement in cybercrimes and forgery. The 37-year-old was accused of obtaining an Indian passport using forged documents and assisting cyber fraudsters by providing access to Indian bank accounts for fraudulent activities.
Tharchin, who is originally from Khaba Toukur Ganzi in Tibet, was residing in Dwarka, Delhi. He is also known by several aliases, including Chanjan, Chandra Thakur, and Tanzin. According to Rajkumar Mishra, Additional Superintendent of Police (STF Noida unit), the STF acted on a tip-off regarding foreign nationals involved in the forgery of passports and documents. During their investigation, Tharchin was apprehended and questioned by the Gautam Budh Nagar unit of the STF.
Evidence gathered during questioning revealed that Tharchin had helped cyber fraudsters by providing details of at least 26 bank accounts, which were used for fraudulent activities. It was also discovered that he had forged documents and passports while stationed in West Bengal.
Tharchin’s journey began when he left Tibet at the age of 14 and moved to Nepal, where he spent time in a refugee camp. Later, he arrived in Delhi in 2008 and worked at various restaurants across Dharmshala, Delhi, and Billing, eventually getting involved in the smuggling of Chinese electronics into Delhi via Nepal. He claimed to have learned the Chinese language during this time.
In 2013, while living in Darjeeling, Tharchin acquired fake documents and a passport under the name Chandra Thakur. With this forged identity, he traveled to China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Dubai. In 2021, Tharchin met a Chinese national named Lee in Nepal, who recruited him to assist in gaining access to Indian bank account details in exchange for money. Tharchin obtained these details through an associate identified as Jordan and sold them to Lee.
The scheme came to light when an account was flagged after a transaction of Rs 4.5 crore was made. The account holder registered a fraud case in Delhi, accusing Tharchin and Jordan of cybercrime. After spending nine months in jail for this case, Tharchin was released and later connected with Nandu alias Narendra Yadav from Dwarka, Delhi, who introduced him to more foreign nationals involved in similar illegal activities.
Tharchin has been booked at Surajpur police station under several sections of the Indian Penal Code related to cheating, forgery, and snatching, as well as provisions of the Passport Act. The investigation is ongoing, with more details likely to emerge.
