Angad Singh Chandhok, an Indian national wanted in multiple fraud cases in India, was deported from the United States and brought to New Delhi in an operation coordinated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), reported news agency PTI.
Chandhok had been convicted by a US federal court in 2022 for his role in a large-scale international tech support scam that targeted American citizens, including many elderly victims.
According to a statement issued by the US department of justice. cited by PTI, the man helped in leading a scheme that stole life savings from numerous Americans.
"An Indian national who sought asylum in the United States and then played a critical role in ensuring that an international tech-support scheme succeeded in defrauding Americans, many of them elderly, of their life savings, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison," said US attorney Zachary A Cunha in the 2022 statement, the report added.
Angad Chandhok convicted of scam, and money laundering charges
The justice department said that Chandhok was not only a key player in the fraud but also responsible for organizing a complex network to move the stolen money. He was found guilty of running an extensive money laundering operation from California.
{{/usCountry}}The justice department said that Chandhok was not only a key player in the fraud but also responsible for organizing a complex network to move the stolen money. He was found guilty of running an extensive money laundering operation from California.
{{/usCountry}}According to US officials, he created and operated several shell companies that were used to transfer millions of dollars obtained through fraudulent means.
Initially, the scam focused on online tech support fraud, where victims were tricked into believing they needed to pay for unnecessary computer services. The operation later expanded into a travel fee scam, also conducted online, to defraud more victims.
“Chandhok, who had at least five others working under his direction, was in direct contact with high-ranking international members of the scheme,” the statement added.
The US authorities confirmed that Chandhok had sought asylum in the country before getting involved in the criminal enterprise. After serving part of his prison sentence, he was deported to India, where law enforcement agencies had been seeking his custody in connection with separate fraud investigations.
Indian authorities are now expected to pursue legal proceedings against Chandhok based on pending cases in the country.