New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Delhi Police has arrested two persons for allegedly duping several merchants and vendors of crores of rupees by posing as representatives of a fake government trust and issuing tenders under it, an official said on Tuesday.
The accused, Karunakar alias Ratnakar Upadhyay (40) and Anita Upadhyay (35) were held in connection with a case registered at the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) police station based on multiple complaints, including one by a retired army officer, they said.
According to officials, the two are graduates and were unemployed. They turned to fraud for easy money.
Ratnakar is involved in multiple criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, including a rape case registered against him at Paharganj police station in 2023, while Anita was previously arrested in a similar case in Chhattisgarh.
“The duo posed as representatives of a fake trust named Rashtriya Gramin Saksharta Mission (RGSM), which they claimed was a Government of India undertaking. They also created a fake website and opened a bank account in the name of the mission to lend authenticity to their claims,” Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) Amrutha Guguloth said.
The accused allegedly induced vendors to register for supplying uniforms, school bags, medical kits and other materials meant for distribution among underprivileged students in various states. After taking delivery of the goods, the two failed to make payments, the officer said.
“In one case, complainant Retired Captain Shivender Singh Bakshi was duped of nearly Rs 2 crore under the pretext of commission for tender allotment and supply of school uniforms,” he added. Three other similar complaints from merchants are under investigation.
The investigation revealed that Ratnakar had created the fake website and operated the bank account, from which he withdrew approximately Rs 3.5 crore for personal use. Anita, who was presented as the head of mission also received funds from the account and played an active role in the conspiracy, the officer said.
Police said the accused were arrested in a case on July 16 and again in another case on July 21. Both were remanded to police custody by a local court.
During the probe, two truckloads containing around 45,000 school uniforms valued at approximately Rs 1.5 crore — supplied by complainant Bakshi — were recovered.
The accused had earlier been arrested by Chhattisgarh Police in a similar case involving RGSM-related fraud. PTI SSJ SSJ SHS OZ OZ
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