Priest, MBA graduate, tutor: 5 more arrested for duping elderly couple of Rs 14.85 crore in Delhi’s GK

According to police, Arun, a BA graduate, works as a private data entry operator outside the Income Tax Office and runs NGO Shivas Charitable Foundation in Varanasi. Mahavir alias Neel, a resident of Ahmedabad, is a BCom graduate.

Pradyuman alias SP Tiwari works as a priest and performs private pujas for devotees at Varanasi ghats.

Bhupender alias Atul Mishra is an MBA and was engaged in private employment. Aadesh, meanwhile, has completed BA (Hons) and provided private coaching to students, said police.

Om Taneja (81) and his wife Indira Taneja (77), residents of GK 2, were duped of Rs 14.85 crore by scammers who posed as TRAI officials. They had alleged that Indira’s mobile number had surfaced in a money-laundering case in Mumbai and the couple had to pay some amount and provide their bank account details for verification, to be allegedly carried out by the RBI.

A special team led by sub-inspectors Raj Kiran and Atul Yadav, under the supervision of ACP Prem Chandra Khanduri and the overall supervision of DCP Vinit Kumar, traced large sums to mule bank accounts, leading to coordinated raids across multiple states.

The first arrest made in the case was that of Divyang Patel (23) from Vadodara, whose account received Rs 4 crore from the victim. Subsequently, Shitole Krutik (22) and Ankit Mishra were arrested from Gujarat.

Divyang, a BCom graduate who has completed CA (Inter), runs NGO Floresta Foundation and also provides financial services through his firm Tatva Business Advisors. Shitole holds a diploma in IT from New Zealand. Ankit alias Robin is a BCom graduate and has previously worked as a sales executive with SBI Cap Securities, said police. All the accused allegedly acted as facilitators, operating mule accounts and laundering money on instructions from handlers based abroad.

Calling the offence grave, organised, and inter-state in nature, police said that further investigation is underway to identify additional conspirators and trace the complete money trail.