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Ludhiana: BJP leader among 3 held for duping NRI of ₹6 crore
The case stems from a complaint filed by a 68-year-old NRI Baloura Singh, who was still grieving the loss of his wife in 2020, when he was allegdly duped and cheated of ₹6.14 crore in a sophisticated racket involving promises of remarriage and lucrative land deals
The Jagraon police on Sunday have arrested three more accused for duping an elderly Canada-based NRI of ₹6.14 crore in 2020. The now arrested accused have been identified as Raman Arora, a local BJP leader, his aides Charanjit Singh Sarna, and Manjit Singh. The trio was produced before a local court and sent to three-day police remand.
The case stems from a complaint filed by a 68-year-old NRI Baloura Singh, who was still grieving the loss of his wife in 2020, when he was allegdly duped and cheated of ₹6.14 crore in a sophisticated racket involving promises of remarriage and lucrative land deals.
According to investigators, the gang first introduced the victim to a woman under the pretext of arranging his second marriage. Once trust was built, the accused began extorting money, allegedly persuading him to invest in land purchases and property deals in Punjab.
During raids, the police recovered ₹2.20 crore in cash and ₹10 lakh in deposits from Sarna’s house, along with evidence of ₹25 lakh deposited in a current account.
With these arrests, the number of accused held in the case has risen to nine. Earlier, six others — including Ranjeet Singh Rana, who posed as a fake lawyer — were arrested and are currently on remand.
ASI Gurdeep Singh, who is investigating the case, stated that an FIR under sections 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) (creating a false document or electronic record with intent to cause harm, support a claim, or defraud someone), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills, and certain other documents), 336 (3) (forgery with the intent that the forged document or electronic record ), 340(2) (fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged document or electronic record as genuine), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was lodged in the matter on August 28.
He said that it was a well-planned fraud, exploiting the vulnerability of a grieving NRI who had just lost his wife and weaving together false promises of marriage and property ownership. He added that further arrests and financial recoveries are expected as the probe continues.
