Delhi: Retired Army Colonel duped of Rs 18.8 lakh; Kerala fisherman part of racket lands in police net

The case was registered on August 31 last year, under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention).

According to the complaint, the victim, a retired Colonel, began receiving messages and phone calls in December 2023 from a woman identifying herself as “Cute Arvin Anghita”. The caller allegedly persuaded him to invest in the Forex market, promising significant returns. Encouraged by the assurances, the victim transferred multiple instalments over time. However, when he sought to withdraw part of his investment, he was told he would first need to pay more money. He eventually ended up losing Rs 18.80 lakh to the fraudsters, said police.

“During the investigation, it was found that the cheated amount was transferred to different bank accounts. Most of the receiver bank accounts were opened using fake addresses and fake phone numbers. After an analysis of the bank account details, it was found that the cheated amount of Rs 5.93 lakh was transferred to a Federal Bank account in a branch located in Oachira in Kollam district, which belongs to Sreejith… This amount was withdrawn as cash by Sreejith on the same day,” said DCP (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora.

Following this lead, the Crime Branch team, under the direction of DCP Indora and supervision of ACP Raj Pal Dabas, was dispatched to Kerala. The team successfully tracked down and arrested the accused from his residence in Azheekal, said police.

Investigators found that Sreejith was lured into the racket by a friend who flaunted a lavish lifestyle funded through cheating.

Another member of the syndicate, Sunil from Jodhpur, had been arrested earlier this year in January. The alleged mastermind, Anandhu Lal from Kollam in Kerala, remains absconding, police said.