NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police have cracked a fraud case that dates back over a decade, arresting an elderly man from Gujarat who was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000. The accused allegedly duped pharmaceutical companies of approximately Rs 98 lakh, an official said on Tuesday.
Arrest and Background
Himmat Singh Lodha was arrested from a township area in Surat on May 24, the police official stated. Lodha had been declared a proclaimed offender and was wanted in a 2013 cheating case registered at Punjabi Bagh police station. In this case, he allegedly posed as the proprietor of a corporation and induced a pharmaceutical company to supply 550 kg of Gliclazide, a raw material used in medicines, worth over Rs 26 lakh.
Modus Operandi
According to police, the accused issued post-dated cheques for payment, which were later dishonoured with the remark 'account closed'. Soon after receiving the material, Lodha allegedly vacated his office and residence and went into hiding. A senior police officer explained that Lodha was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court in July 2016, and a cash reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for information leading to his arrest.
Additional Cases
During the investigation, a team from the crime branch discovered that Lodha had been declared a proclaimed offender in another cheating case registered at Rani Bagh police station in 2012. In that case, he allegedly used the fake identity of Kailash Jain and dishonestly obtained around 2,575 kg of Ambroxol HCL worth nearly Rs 72 lakh from another pharmaceutical company. Police said the accused used forged credentials and fake business identities to gain the confidence of pharmaceutical firms before placing large orders of raw materials. After obtaining the consignments, he allegedly shut down offices, vacated rented premises, and disappeared to avoid legal action.
Investigation and Capture
The police team worked for nearly a month, tracking the accused through leads developed in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Surat before finally apprehending him in Surat. Lodha, originally a resident of Rajasthan's Udaipur district, was currently involved in property-dealing activities in Surat and Mumbai, police added. Further legal proceedings are underway in both cases.
