New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has arrested husband-wife duo for cheating over 30 people in crores of rupees on the pretext of high rate of interest from 18 per cent to 20 per cent of the invested money, an official said on Thursday.
The accused were identified as Sukhvinder Singh Sahani (51) and his wife Sheetal Sahani (49).
The couple was arrested on April 24, after an investigation was initiated into a complaint filed by Rashmi Batra.
The case was registered at the Dwarka South police station under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint, the accused couple, who run a boutique and tiffin service, had introduced themselves to the Batra and other 31 complainants as engaged in a wholesale business of inverters/batteries and real estate in Zirakpur, Punjab.
"They lured the victims to invest in their fraudulent investment schemes promising high returns on investment ranging from 18 per cent to 20 per cent per month. The accused had induced the complainants to invest in cash only, without issuing any receipts," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (EOW) M.I. Haider.
The accused allegedly paid promised returns to the investors initially to win their confidence, and later induced them to invest more money by bringing in their relatives and friends.
"The couple also trapped gullible housewives for re-investments. The accused couple had neither paid back the principal amount nor the assured returns to the victims," said the official.
During the investigation, the police received details of bank accounts that proved the receipt of money from the victims and subsequently, the couple was arrested.
The Delhi Police have advised the public to be cautious and not get trapped in such fraudulent investment schemes. "The public should always verify the details of any person before making any payments and contact the right authorities if they have any doubts," said the DCP.
"The accused couple will be presented before the court, and further investigations are underway," he added.