Delhi: 18 years on the run: Fake ‘Army officer' hiding in Punjab old age home finally caught
On the run for 18 years, a 77-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping people by posing as a colonel in the Army and offering them real estate under a fake Army Welfare Housing Scheme (AWS), the Delhi Police said.
The accused, Sitaram Singla, who has an MA in History and Economics from Panjab University, was hiding in an old age home in Patiala since 2007 when he jumped bail.
On Saturday, a Crime Branch team received a tip-off about his whereabouts. 'The information revealed that the accused is a resident of Mansa, Punjab. After jumping bail, he is presently living in an old-age home in Patiala, Punjab. The team of ARSC Crime Branch reached the spot and arrested the accused,' DCP (Crime Branch) Apoorva Gupta said.
Police said Singla was arrested in 2007 after a complaint was filed at Vivek Vihar police station by a bank employee, Anil Nigam; he claimed Singla duped him of Rs 56,000.
'The accused offered a flat to the complainant, which he said was be built by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) under a fictitious scheme, and also offered to book a shop under it. He took Rs 56,000 as earnest money and handed over two receipts to the complainant,' DCP Gupta said.
Singla was arrested and got bail the same year, police said. But he failed to appear in court and had been on the run ever since, police said. On April 26, 2025, he was declared a proclaimed offender by the Karkardooma court.
Born in Sirsa in 1948, Singla came to Delhi in 1987. 'He started working as a contractor in the Indian Army and supplied oil to various cantonment areas all over India. During his work, he gained knowledge about various ranks of Army Officers and learned about the recruitment process,' DCP Gupta said.
Armed with insider knowledge, Singla then allegedly started posing as a colonel and duping people on the pretext of getting them discounted real estate and jobs using AWHO.
Police said Singla cut off all contact with family to stay under the radar while on the run. He has two sons; his wife passed away a few years ago.
'He was found involved in three cases of cheating and forgery at Shakarpur police station and the Crime Branch,' the DCP said.
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