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Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Indian Express
Non-existent crime wing, misuse of Union minister, ex-CJI's name: How duo defrauded job aspirants of Rs 25 lakh
Sometime in 2017-18, Chennai resident Na Vijayshankar received the news he had been waiting for. He was told that he had been 'appointed' as a director in the 'Karnataka State Anti-Corruption and Anti-Crime (ACAC) Wing'. For the purpose, Vijayshankar had made a payment of ₹1 lakh to two men, Reningston Sales and Vincent Raju, to 'facilitate' the appointment. While perusing his appointment letter, a particular line caught Vijayshankar's attention: It contained the name of a Minister for State purportedly 'intimating Chief Secretaries of all the States about the appointment of former CJI RM Lodha (Retired) as the President of ACAC Wing of India.' He ran a quick Google search. Turned out, no such wing existed. Realising that he had been duped, Vijayshankar reported the matter to the Central Vigilance Commission, which then forwarded the information to the CBI. Following a preliminary enquiry, an FIR was lodged against Sales and Raju in 2022. As per the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Vijayshankar was not the only one. With the same modus operandi, the accused had duped multiple people of a total amount of Rs 25 lakh. The duo, claimed the agency, also relied on a forged letter purportedly issued by a former President addressed to ex-CJI Lodha congratulating him for 'accepting the position of National President of ACAC Wing of India'. These forged documents were enough to coax multiple persons into giving the duo lakhs for the 'plum position' at ACAC, said officers. The officers said the accused, using forged documents, opened a bank account in which the money sent by various victims in the form of 'membership fee' of the wing was deposited. Officers said the accused took amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per membership for their victims. Rs 10.75 lakh from the total amount was withdrawn and diverted for personal use of the accused, they added. 'They had created a fake email ID in the name of which was used in commission of the offence. The recovery phone number in this email ID was found to belong to Mr. Reningston Sales (A-1). The information received from Google Inc also showed that fake email IDs were prepared from the same IP address of Mr. Reningston Sale (A-1),' alleged the CBI. A Zonal Office, at No. 44A, 18th Avenue, Ashok Nagar, Chennai, was given on rent to Raju, who had put up a board of 'ACAB' on his premises; Reningston Sales used to visit this address,' alleged the CBI as per the Court order. Their 'head office' in Paharganj existed only on paper. 'From the allegations in the charge sheet and the documents filed along with the charge sheet, there is sufficient material on record to take cognizance for commission of offences punishable under Section 120B r/w Section 420/471 IPC and Section 7 r/w Section 3 of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005 and substantive offences thereof,' said Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg of Rouse Avenue Court in his order dated May 23. The court has summoned the accused persons to appear before it on August 22. Sales and Raju had earlier been granted anticipatory bail by the Delhi High Court.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Conmen cheat people of ₹25 lakh using fake letters of Union minister and former President
Two Chennai-based men cheated people out of ₹25 lakh by posing as officials appointed by a Union minister to a fake anti-corruption group, according to a CBI chargesheet filed in a local court. The accused, Reningston Sales and Vincent Raju, allegedly created a fake organisation named the 'Anti Corruption and Anti Crime (ACAC) Wing' and duped victims by claiming to be its senior office bearers. To lend a semblance of credibility to their plan, the accused duo set up fake offices in Chennai and gave a non-existent address of Paharganj in the national capital as the 'head office.' They also allegedly fabricated official-looking paraphernalia – including letterheads bearing the national emblem, rubber stamps, ID cards, and visiting cards of high-profile government functionaries. A forged letter dated June 10, 2017, shows Union minister of state personnel Jitendra Singh notifying all state chief secretaries of the appointment of retired chief justice of India RM Lodha as the president of their dubious organisation. The accused also prepared a forged email ID – ' which they allegedly used to convince the targeted victims. CBI claimed that it got confirmation from Google that the fake email ID was linked to their IP address, and one of their phone numbers was provided as the recovery number. Sales and Raju also allegedly forged another letter dated May 11, 2018. It claimed that the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind congratulated Justice Lodha congratulating him for accepting the position of 'National President' of ACAC Wing of India. According to CBI, the accused collected money from gullible victims by promising them to offer positions at various zonal and state offices of their fake organisation. The name of the union minister and former President of India was used to convince targets that their organisation was a legitimate one. Around ₹25 lakh was collected using this modus operandi and deposited in a current account in the Indian Bank in the name of the ACAC Wing of India. The account was opened in the Indian Bank by using a forged resolution of the organisation, the CBI alleged. The accused duo, Sales and Raju, got anticipatory bail from the Delhi High Court, and now they have been summoned by the Special CBI court, which has taken cognisance of the charges against them.
