New Delhi: A fugitive who was on the run for over a decade in a case of fraud and spoofing was deported from the US after the CBI approached the authorities there through Interpol, officials said on Thursday.
Accused Harnek Singh was arrested upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Wednesday, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson said.
She said Singh, against whom an Interpol Red Notice and a Look-Out Circular were in force, would be produced before the court of the Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI cases), Panchkula, Haryana, at the earliest.
He was wanted in connection with a case in which Indian nationals residing or working in Singapore were defrauded through spoofed calls by fraudsters operating from India in 2013, the CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The callers impersonated officials of Singapore Immigration authorities and falsely told victims they had furnished incorrect information in their disembarkation forms at the airport, she said.
The victims were allegedly told that they faced criminal prosecution and deportation. They were then induced to pay purported settlement fees or fines through Western Union Money Transfer to designated receivers in India, she added.
In 2016, the CBI had registered a case under provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to conspiracy, cheating, forgery and use of forged documents as genuine and under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The investigation established that the cheated money was received through a money transfer outlet operated by Singh in association with co-accused Aditya Bhardwaj and Deepak Jain, the CBI said.
Singh allegedly fled India in May 2013 and subsequently entered the United States illegally, where he remained absconding for more than a decade, the statement said.
While Singh remained absent, proceedings against Bhardwaj and Jain continued before the Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Panchkula, which had convicted them, it said.
"Consequently, an open-dated non-bailable warrant of arrest was issued against him by the Court of the Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Panchkula, on 22.04.2024. The CBI thereafter pursued the matter through Interpol channels, resulting in the publication of an Interpol Red Notice against him, and also caused a Look-Out Circular to be opened against his passport," the spokesperson said.
