Man wanted in Delhi, Mumbai bank fraud cases held after 18 years

DCP (Crime) Harsh Indora said that Nischal shifted to Himachal Pradesh soon after first fleeing to Delhi and changed his name to Sonu Chauhan.

Nearly 18 years after a man committed multiple bank frauds in Delhi and Mumbai, nearly 18 years after he cheated them of lakhs of rupees, police said they arrested him from Manali, where he was working as a hotel manager, evading arrest.

Investigators said Nishchal was a member of an organised gang who committed large scale bank fraud.

The accused, Amit Nishchal, now 48, has been named as accused in cases lodged in 2001-02 in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, as well as in Delhi. Investigators said Nishchal, who was in his 20s at that time, was a member of an organised gang who committed large scale bank fraud.

“They would target courier companies who dealt with delivery/transit of demand drafts in major city bank branches. They stole demand drafts from vans. The drafts were then forged. The addresses were changed and the amount would also be changed…This way, they cheated multiple banks,” said an officer.

Police said the CID in Mumbai was investigating him in a similar cheating case in 2001. He was arrested at the time met notorious gangster Om Prakash Singh and began committing fraud after he got bail.

In 2002, he was arrested in Santa Cruz again. However, this time, when he got bail, he fled and police failed to trace him.

DCP (Crime) Harsh Indora said that Nischal shifted to Himachal Pradesh soon after first fleeing to Delhi. “He changed his name to Sonu Chauhan and even made ration card and other IDs. He had enough savings and started working at hotels. He was then made the manager of a hotel.”

Police said that, in December 2025, they received an input that one of the proclaimed offenders, who has been on the run for nearly two decades, was hiding in Manali.

“We found that he had changed his name and identity but his photos matched the description. A team was sent to Kullu-Manali to look for him. He was also trying to contact his family which further raised suspicions. He was traced and arrested from Manali last week,” said another officer.