Latest news with #SitaramGupta
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Fraudster Posing As Army Colonel Arrested From Old-Age Home In Punjab
New Delhi: A 77-year-old man who had been absconding for over a decade after jumping bail in a cheating case involving the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) was arrested from an old-age home in Punjab's Patiala, the Delhi Police said on Sunday. The accused, Sitaram Gupta, a native of Mansa in Punjab was impersonating as a Colonel in the Indian Army and duped people by offering flats and shops under fictitious AWHO schemes, police in a statement said. "Gupta, a postgraduate in Economics and History from Panjab University and a former student of ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had been evading trial in a 2007 cheating case registered at Vivek Vihar police station in Delhi," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Apoorva Gupta in the statement said. He allegedly took Rs 56,000 from a complainant after offering him a flat and shop under the AWHO scheme and issued forged receipts, the officer said. After his arrest in 2007 and subsequent release on bail, Gupta went underground and failed to appear before court, leading to the issuance of non-bailable warrants. On April 26 this year, the Karkardooma Court declared him a proclaimed offender. He had started his career as a contractor supplying oil to Army cantonments across India, the statement said. During this period, he gained insider knowledge of the Army's functioning, which he later used to impersonate as a senior Army officer and lure unsuspecting people with promises of employment and housing benefits. "He moved to Delhi in 1987 and began posing as a Colonel. He conned several people on the pretext of recruitment in the Army and real estate opportunities through AWHO," the DCP said. A special team was formed which was tasked with tracking Gupta. Based on a tip-off, the team conducted surveillance and zeroed in on the old-age home in Patiala where he was living under a false identity. "He had changed his appearance and cut off ties with his family to stay under the radar. After confirming his identity, he was apprehended from the shelter," the officer added. During interrogation, Gupta admitted to his involvement in multiple cases of cheating, including three other fraud cases registered with the Shakarpur police station and the Crime Branch in Delhi, related to fake Army job offers. Police said Gupta's wife has passed away and he has two children. He had been leading a secluded life to evade arrest, shifting locations and using different mobile numbers
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
77-year-old fraudster posing as Army Colonel nabbed by Delhi Police
New Delhi: A 77-year-old man who posed as a Colonel in the Indian Army to dupe people was traced to an old-age home in Punjab by Delhi Police 's Crime Branch. The accused, Sitaram Gupta alias Sitaram Singla, had been on the run for over a decade after jumping bail in a 2007 cheating case in Vivek Vihar. Gupta, a resident of Mansa, Punjab, allegedly took Rs 56,000 from a bank employee, offering a fake Army Welfare Housing Organisation flat and shop. "He handed over forged receipts. When the victim grew suspicious, a complaint was filed," a senior officer said. Declared a proclaimed offender, Gupta was found hiding in Patiala on May 31. "He changed his identity and appearance to avoid arrest," the officer said. Gupta told police he cut ties with his family and used knowledge of Army procedures to run frauds. He was earlier convicted in three fake Army job offer cases. Legal proceedings are underway.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
Senior citizen defrauding people by impersonating Colonel arrested from Punjab
A senior citizen, who posed as a Colonel to cheat people on the pretext of providing them jobs in the Army and by offering flats in the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO), was arrested from a Punjab old-age home, police said on Sunday. The accused, identified as Sitaram Gupta alias Sitaram Singla, 77, who was evading trial in a case of cheating and forgery registered against him in Delhi, was arrested on Saturday. During interrogation after his arrest, Gupta revealed that he left his home, family members, and changed his appearance and mobile number to avoid his detection by law enforcement agencies, Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Apooorva Gupta said. Gupta was wanted in connection with a 2007 fraud case of offering a flat and a shop in the AWHO. A case was registered against him on the complaint of Anil Nigam, a bank employee, who alleged that the accused had introduced himself as a Colonel rank officer posted in Delhi and offered a flat which was to be built by the AWHO. As per the complaint, Gupta also offered him to book a shop under the same scheme and took Rs 56,000 from him. Disappointed over not getting anything, Nigam filed a complaint at Vivek Vihar Police Station, and a case was registered there under relevant sections of cheating and forgery. After the investigation, the accused was arrested and later released on bail by the court. However, Gupta jumped bail and started living in an old-age home in Punjab. Initially, non-bailable warrants were issued against the accused, but he didn't appear before the court, after which he was declared a proclaimed offender. Police received a tip-off that Gupta was residing in an old-age home located in Punjab's Patiala by hiding his identity. Using advanced technical surveillance and human intelligence, a team comprising ASI Sanjeev, ASI Neeraj, HC Mintu Yadav, and HC Sawai from the ARSC, Shakarpur, Crime Branch, arrested him on Saturday. Born in Mandi Dabwali in Haryana's Sirsa in 1948, Gupta did his MA (History) and MA (Economics) from Panjab University and was reportedly a student of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when the latter was a professor there. "Sitaram Gupta, who worked as a contractor in the Indian Army, gained knowledge of various ranks of army officers and learned about the recruitment process of the Indian Army. He came to Delhi in 1987 and started working as an oil contractor. Besides work, he used to introduce himself as a Colonel of the Indian Army and started defrauding Delhiites. He took money from several youths on the pretext of giving them a job in the Indian Army," a statement issued by the police said. The accused was found involved in three cases of cheating and forgery registered at the Police Station Shakarpur and the Crime Branch in Delhi.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
41 illegal bldgs in Vasai: ED records statement of fmr corporator
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) corporator Sitaram Gupta regarding his alleged role in the construction of 41 illegal buildings on a 60-acre plot earmarked for public projects in Vasai East. Gupta's statement was recorded under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the process will continue on Wednesday, said sources in the ED's Mumbai unit, which is conducting a money laundering probe in connection with the 41 illegal buildings. According to the ED, Gupta is one of the perpetrators of large-scale illegal constructions in Vasai-Virar since 2009. The agency had conducted searches at 13 locations in Vasai-Virar and Hyderabad last week, which had led to the seizure of cash and valuables worth ₹32.29 crore, including ₹44 lakh from Gupta's Nalasopara residence. On Tuesday, Gupta was asked about the source of cash seized from his home, said ED sources. The agency has also summoned another case suspect, VVCMC deputy director (town planning) YS Reddy, for questioning, the sources added. Most of the cash and valuables seized by the ED last week were found at Reddy's Hyderabad home. He was present when the search was conducted but was later admitted to a hospital, where he continues to remain under treatment. On Monday, he was suspended from service and asked to face a departmental inquiry as his alleged actions were in violation of the Maharashtra Civil Services (conduct) rules. The ED's probe was initiated by registering an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report), which was based on multiple first information reports registered by the Mira-Bhayandar police Commissionerate in connection with the construction of the 41 illegal buildings. During the probe, the ED learnt that the 41 illegal buildings were constructed on a plot reserved for a sewage treatment plant and dumping ground via collusion between various builders and VVCMC officials. All 41 buildings were demolished earlier this year following directions from the Bombay high court, leaving around 2,500 residents homeless. The action was taken following a Supreme Court directive which denied any relief to the residents.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Civic officials, bizmen, politicians under scanner for landgrab, illegal construction in Vasai-Virar
Mumbai: Several civic officials, businessmen and politicians are under the scanner for their role in facilitating large-scale landgrab and illegal construction in the Vasai-Virar area, courtesy two ongoing probes into the construction of 41 illegal buildings in Vasai East, on a 60-acre plot reserved for public projects. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police started investigating the matter in 2023, after the Achole police registered a first information report (FIR) as per directions of the Bombay high court. In September 2023, the EOW arrested former Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) corporator Sitaram Gupta. The former civic official and his associates fraudulently acquired the 60-acre plot in Agarwal Nagar in Vasai East and sold the land to various builders, the EOW found during its probe. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recently launched a money laundering investigation into construction of the 41 buildings, last week conducted searches at 13 locations in Vasai-Virar and Hyderabad. The searches led to the seizure of ₹31 crore from the residence of the current VVCMC deputy director (town planning) YS Reddy, and ₹44 lakh from the house of Sitaram Gupta. According to ED sources, Gupta is one of the perpetrators of illegal constructions in Vasai-Virar. Long struggle The 60-acre plot in Agarwal Nagar includes 30 acres of land reserved for public projects, and another 30 acres owned by persons residing in New Zealand and Canada. When Ajay Sharma, caretaker of the privately-owned portion, visited the plot in 2008, he found construction was underway by a certain 'Prime Property Developers'. 'After I asked for documents and permissions for the construction work, (Sitaram) Gupta and his associates assaulted me near my home with swords,' Sharma, a resident of Vasai West, told Hindustan Times. In 2018, Sharma filed a public interest litigation regarding illegal construction on the 60-acre plot in the Bombay high court. The VVCMC acknowledged in 2020, in response to a Right to Information application filed by Sharma, that the construction was indeed illegal. In June 2023, the Achole police registered a first information report in the matter, following directions issued by the high court. The FIR was registered under sections 420, 447, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. It was based on a complaint by Sharma, who alleged that in 2009, Sitaram Gupta and his brother Arun Gupta colluded with the land mafia to make bogus documents pertaining to the plot at the behest of underworld don Chhota Rajan. They then sold the land to various builders, paving the way for construction of the 41 unauthorised buildings, Sharma alleged. In September 2023, the case was transferred to EOW of MBVV police, which found that Gupta had also issued a bogus completion certificate for one of the buildings on behalf of Cidco (City and Industrial Development Corporation) and VVCMC. The former corporator and his alleged associate Vijay Tambat alias Vijay Salvi were arrested in September 2023. Court orders demolition In October 2024, the VVCMC told the Bombay high court that 30 acres in the 60-acre plot was reserved for a dumping ground and a sewage treatment plant. The court then ordered the civic body to demolish the 41 buildings on the plot. Seven structurally dangerous buildings were razed in November 2024, prompting the residents to approach the high court and then the Supreme Court for relief. The remaining buildings were demolished during a 22-day drive in January 2025, after the SC denied any relief to the residents. Over 2,000 families were left homeless due to the demolitions. A majority of them were factory workers, labourers, small business owners, and migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. While some have managed to rent shacks or rooms in nearby areas, most were forced to return to their native places, unable to afford alternative housing. ED launches probe Meanwhile, Dhananjay Gawde, a former Shiv Sena corporator, brought the matter to the attention of the ED. Gawde had, in the past, exposed several unauthorised constructions in Vasai-Virar by filing Right to Information applications. He was named as an accused in several cases registered on the basis of complaints by affected developers, officials and politicians and was arrested in 2021 after the Supreme Court denied him bail. 'I filed complaints with the ED keeping social interests in mind,' said Gawde, who was released from jail in 2023. 'Corrupt officials were trying to help builders by displacing common people, which I brought to the notice of the ED.' As reported by HT on March 18, the VVMC attempted to de-reserve the 60-acre plot and shift the sewage treatment plant to Gass village while demolition of the 41 buildings was underway. 'VVCMC deputy director (town planning) YS Reddy was the main person behind this attempt as he wanted to hand over the plot to developers once it was vacant,' said Gawde. The plan to shift the sewage treatment plant, however, was thwarted due to intense protests by Gaas residents. Subsequently, the ED registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) based on multiple first information reports (FIRs) registered by the Mira-Bhayandar police Commissionerate in connection with the construction of the 41 illegal buildings. Last week, the ED conducted searches at 13 locations in Vasai-Virar and Hyderabad, connected with builders who constructed the illegal structures. The searches resulted in seizure of cash and valuables worth ₹32.29 crore, including diamond-studded jewellery and bullion worth ₹23.25 crore and ₹9.04 crore in cash. Most of the cash and all the valuables were seized from the Hyderabad residence of VVCMC deputy director (town planning) YS Reddy. Another ₹44 lakh in cash was seized from the Nalasopara home of Sitaram Gupta – the money was hidden in a metal cupboard lying concealed behind a wooden door in the house. The ED suspects that several former VVCMC senior officials connived with a group of builders to facilitate the construction. 'We will summon those officials and other case accused for questioning soon,' a source in the ED told HT while the searches were underway.
