Dubai scam mastermind done in by craving for tawa roti
The accused was at the door of his hideout (a hotel) to collect a food delivery order in Dehradun when the cops nabbed him.
Owner of BlueChip Group Ravindranath Soni, 44, accused of duping over 700 investors across India, UAE, Oman and the US of nearly ₹970 crore, managed to stay invisible to law enforcement for months.
He moved with precision and refused to use his own mobile phone, communicating instead through devices of his relatives. Every step he took was calculated to leave no digital footprint. But his craving for tawa rotis and vegetables undid his meticulous planning.
He was at the door of his hideout (a hotel) to collect a food delivery order in Dehradun when the cops nabbed him last week after an 18-month international manhunt.
According to police, Soni had fled Dubai and taken shelter in Dehradun, where he was living discreetly with family members. On the day of his arrest, he was staying at a hotel in the city. After complaining about the taste of the hotel food, he insisted on ordering something he preferred.
Investigators said Soni downloaded a food delivery app on a relative’s phone, assuming it would not attract attention. But he entered his own name and shared his exact location to place an order for tawa rotis, vegetables and pizza. In that moment, he unknowingly broadcast his presence to the teams hunting him.
The Dehradun crime branch and surveillance teams of Kanpur police were already monitoring the mobile numbers of Soni’s relatives in connection with a ₹42.29-lakh fraud case registered in Kanpur. As soon as Soni’s login synced, an alert appeared on their systems showing his real-time location.
Officers who had been in the area for routine surveillance immediately swung into action. They traced the coordinates to the hotel and moved in. Soni, unaware that his dinner plans had exposed him, was caught off-guard. He was taken into custody on the spot, ending a months-long manhunt.
Kanpur police commissioner Raghubir Lal confirmed that while a local fraud case had already been registered against Soni, complainants from Dubai and Kerala have now approached Kanpur cops with similar allegations. “The scale of the fraud is much larger than what was initially known,” an official said, adding that fresh complaints continue to emerge.
Police said Soni, originally from Delhi, had shifted to Dubai sevaral years ago. He established Bluechip Trading there and subsequently floated 11 sister companies to widen the façade of legitimacy. The firm targeted investors in India, Dubai, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, the US and several other countries, offering high-return plans and using slick marketing to lure clients.
Soni allegedly deceived investors by promising 30–40% returns, funnelling a large share of the proceeds into cryptocurrency and routing transactions through foreign associates, including individuals based in the United States, said investigators.
Given the sheer spread of the alleged scam, a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed under additional DCP (crime) Anjali Vishwakarma. The team has taken over all files, statements and digital records from the Kotwali police and is now mapping the financial and logistical network through which Soni is believed to have operated.
Investigators have identified several properties in Delhi, Noida, Meerut, Gurugram and other NCR pockets allegedly linked to Soni. Many of these assets, officers said, were purchased in the names of close relatives to avoid detection. The SIT is verifying ownership details and examining transactions to determine whether these properties were acquired using the proceeds of the alleged fraud.
Sources said some high-end flats and commercial units are also under scanner, and more assets may surface as financial records are scrutinised.
Soni is in police custody for six days and investigators have started questioning him how he ran complex fraud schemes across borders.
