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Mangaluru man held over ₹200-cr loan fraud across states
Rohan Saldanha, a resident of the Jepinamogaru area in Karnataka’s Mangaluru and a suspected high-profile conman, was arrested after a midnight raid by Mangaluru city police, officials said on Friday
Rohan Saldanha, a resident of the Jepinamogaru area in Karnataka’s Mangaluru and a suspected high-profile conman, was arrested after a midnight raid by Mangaluru city police, officials said on Friday.
According to police, 45-year-old Saldanha allegedly duped several businessmen across India of ₹200 crore by promising massive business loans and real estate deals.
“He would invite the victims to his bungalow under the pretext of business dialogues,” said CEN police inspector Revana Siddappa. “The accused collected huge commissions and made excuses later. He was arrested based on a complaint by an Andhra Pradesh-based saree businessman who was duped of ₹40 lakh. Acting on a tip-off, we raided his bungalow on Thursday night and arrested him. We are verifying his bank records and waiting for more victims to come forward,” he added.
One of his bank accounts showed transactions worth over ₹40 crore in just three months, the officer said, adding he collected advance payments ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹4 crore as “stamp duty”, after which he reportedly cut all communication and disappeared.
According to police, Saldanha’s bungalow itself was a fortress, fitted with high-definition CCTV cameras and built-in features designed to thwart law enforcement. A hidden bunker, accessible through a camouflaged wall, allowed him to monitor police inquiries and evade arrest. Officials while raid also found underground corridors, staircases behind bedroom panels, and multiple concealed exits across the premises, said police.
