Uttarakhand: Chhattisgarh man held for cheating retired Subedar major of ₹34.17 lakh

Police have seized foreign currency of the UAE, Oman, and the USA, along with an Aadhaar card, PAN card, ATM card, UAE resident card, and a mobile phone from him

Published on: Aug 3, 2025, 17:18:40 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Dehradun: A 35-year-old man from Chhattisgarh was arrested on Saturday for allegedly cheating a retired Subedar major of the Army Medical Corps of ₹34.17 lakh through a fake foreign investment scheme, Uttarakhand Police said.

Har Vilas Nandi, a resident of Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, is allegedly the mastermind of an international cybercrime gang, according to the cyber cell of Uttarakhand Police.

Police have seized foreign currency of the UAE, Oman, and the USA, along with an Aadhaar card, PAN card, ATM card, UAE resident card, and a mobile phone from him.

“Nandi lived in Dubai for 10 years. His Facebook and email IDs were created in Dubai, and the email ID linked to his bank account was being operated from the Philippines. The fraudulently obtained money was traced to his bank account and later withdrawn in Dubai,” senior superintendent of police (SSP) of the Special Task Force (STF) Navneet Singh Bhullar said.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh: Two dupe BJP leader of ₹41.3 lakhs, case filed

At least 37 cybercrime complaints from across the country were found registered against Nandi’s bank account on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) of the ministry of home affairs. “In just one month, transactions totalling over ₹3.46 crore were observed in the accused’s account. He also lured labourers in Chhattisgarh into selling their bank accounts for ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh, which he later used for fraudulent transactions,” SSP Bhullar said.

Nandi, who was on the run for a long time, had been hiding in the Naxal-affected Dantewada region. After monitoring his movements using technical surveillance, Nandi was arrested from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai. He was brought to Dehradun on transit remand, the officer said.

SSP Bhullar said that police began investigating after a retired Subedar Major of the Army Medical Corps lodged a complaint in 2024, stating that he was cheated of ₹34.17 lakh in the name of investment with a foreign investor company, Apollo India Private Equity (IV) (Mauritius) Ltd.

Also read: Ex Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s son arrested by ED in liquor case

The complainant had joined the fake foreign investment company after coming across it on Facebook. “A woman named Jasleen Kaur had posed as the group’s trading assistant and a man posing as a customer service manager provided account details for payments. The complainant was convinced to fill a registration form and eventually invested a total of ₹34.17 lakh in multiple transactions. A mentor named John Peter Hussain also conducted trading sessions with him,” SSP Bhullar said.

“Relevant data regarding bank accounts, WhatsApp communications, and mobile numbers were obtained through correspondence with banks, service providers, and Meta. The data analysis revealed the name of the accused behind the fraud. His email ID was operating from the Philippines, while his social media accounts were Dubai-based. Money from the victim’s account was traced to further layers and withdrawn in Dubai,” SSP Bhullar added.

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged, and a team led by Sub-Inspector Rajesh Dhyani began investigating.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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