In a major joint operation, the Haryana Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) have busted an inter-state gang involved in cheating a Punjab resident of ₹1.9 crore. The operation led to the arrest of the gang’s kingpin and two associates from Bihar within 72 hours of the case registration.
The Fraud
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The Complainant: Naresh Joshi, a resident of Govindgarh, Punjab.
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The Scam: On January 17, Joshi lodged a complaint stating he was lured by the accused with false promises of doubling his money and generating high profits through loans. The gang cheated him of ₹1.9 crore.
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Modus Operandi: The accused, led by a former district spokesperson of a political party, allegedly ran a racket using fake currency to trick victims into believing their money was being doubled.
The Operation & Arrests
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Police Action: Following the complaint, SP (Railways) Haryana Nitika Gahlot formed special teams comprising the GRP Ambala station, CIA unit, and cyber cell.
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The Raid: Coordinating with the Bihar STF, the teams conducted raids in the Samastipur district of Bihar.
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The Accused:
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Pankaj Kumar Lal (Kingpin): A resident of Dalsinghsarai, Samastipur. He is reportedly a former BJP district functionary.
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Kaushal Kumar Kishore
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Rajnish
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Recovery: The police recovered significant assets from Lal’s residence in Ajnaul:
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Cash: ₹6.02 lakh.
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Gold: Jewellery worth approximately ₹30 lakh.
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Vehicles: A luxury Innova car (white SUV).
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Gadgets: Two laptops, two hard disks, and 18 mobile phones.
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Lavish Lifestyle: Investigations revealed Lal was constructing a ₹1 crore luxury house in Dalsinghsarai using the proceeds of the crime.
