A man, who allegedly duped multiple vendors of over Rs 2 crore impersonating an IAS officer, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday.
Following sustained surveillance and raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the accused, Saurabh Singh, an office bearer of a fake trust, was arrested in Lucknow on September 15. The police said his associates, Ratnakar, alias Karunakar Upadhyay, and Anita Upadhyay, were arrested in July.
“The accused set up a trust and a website resembling an official government scheme, issued fraudulent tenders, and even used fake letterheads to present RGSM as a ‘government of India initiative,” stated Amrutha Guguloth, Additional Commissioner of Police.
She continued her statement saying they disguised themselves as IAS officers to gain the trust of vendors and signed agreements for supplying uniforms intended for underprivileged schoolchildren.
After receiving the supplies, the accused did not make any payments and further persuaded vendors to deposit substantial amounts as commission, earnest money, and stamp duty.
In one of the cases, a complainant told the officers that he was defrauded of uniforms worth several crores and coaxed into paying around Rs 2 crore as commission for tender allotment, police said.
During the investigation, police seized approximately 45,000 uniforms worth Rs 1.5 crore, Rs 2.79 lakh in cash, a gold chain, a gold ring, and a car bought with the proceeds of the crime. Officers have also identified two flats owned by the accused for attachment.
Police stated that Ratnakar has a history of crime, with over 10 cases registered against him for cheating, forgery, and rape in Uttar Pradesh.
“Anita, who led the trust, was listed as an authorized signatory on RGSM accounts and profited from the misappropriated funds. Saurabh, previously on the run, is additionally booked in two Ayodhya cases under the Gangsters Act and for forgery,” the Additional CP added.
Six cases have already been registered against the accused in Delhi, while similar cases are pending in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.