The Chandigarh Police have arrested two individuals in connection with separate fraud cases that resulted in significant financial losses. These cases involve unauthorized share transactions affecting an NRI woman and a cash misappropriation incident.
NRI Woman Duped of ₹3.5 Crore
The first instance included Parvinder Kaur Bhatia, an NRI from Essex, UK, who was scammed of ₹3.5 crore. Parveen Kumar Bhardwaj, an employee of Competent Finman Pvt Ltd in Chandigarh, has been accused of manipulating Ms. Bhatia’s confidence to steal her late husband’s assets. Ms. Bhatia approached the business in 2002 to transfer her late husband’s shares to her name. Bhardwaj allegedly took advantage of this by obtaining her signatures on various documents and misusing a special power of attorney to transfer the shares to his mother and other associates.
Ms. Bhatia discovered the unauthorized transactions after receiving notices from income tax authorities. Following her allegation, Bhardwaj was detained on Wednesday. He was produced in court and held in police detention for one day while the probe was ongoing.
Ex-Bank employee convicted for stealing ₹62 lakh.
Arun Saluja, who also goes by Neeraj, a former worker at the Manimajra branch of ICICI Bank, was arrested for allegedly taking away ₹62 lakh in a different case. Ajay Kahlon, Deputy Manager, M/S Brink India Pvt Ltd—a financial management entity—reported the matter. Business is said to have taken in money from clients and deposited it at ICICI Bank Manimajra branch on 3rd and 4th July 2017. ICICI Bank failed to find these deposits.
Investigations revealed that Saluja had issued false receipts for the cash and siphoned off the funds. He was arrested on Monday and presented in court, which remanded him to two-day police custody. Further investigation revealed that Saluja is implicated in two other fraud cases registered at the Manimajra police station, one from 2018 and another from 2017.
Police Investigations and Legal Proceedings
The arrests of Bhardwaj and Saluja show hard work the Chandigarh Police force is doing in fighting against financial crimes and ensuring those involved in committing it are punished. In a bid to seek justice for the sufferers, investigation is underway into these cases by the police.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini commended the police for their swift action. “These arrests underscore the importance of vigilance and accountability in financial transactions. We are committed to taking strict action against those involved in such fraudulent activities,” he stated.’
Also Read: Chandigarh Man Busted In Fake Job Ad Scam
Community Impact and Legal Implications
These incidents have raised concerns about the safety and security of financial transactions, especially for NRIs and other vulnerable individuals. Legal experts suggest that these cases emphasize the need for stringent regulatory mechanisms and robust oversight in financial institutions.
If found guilty, the two accused are expected to be punished harshly by the law.’Their’ this is referring to the actions of the respective individuals which caused huge losses financially and at the same time made members of the general public lose confidence in the concerned entities. All persons implicated in this case will definitely be probed with a view to finding out more facts than those already available so far according to the ongoing findings.
The Chandigarh Police continue to urge citizens to report any suspicious financial activities and remain vigilant to prevent such incidents in the future.
