Fraudster held for double-mortgaging racket after years on the run

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a man who had been absconding for several years for allegedly forging property documents, assuming multiple identities and fraudulently mortgaging the same property with two nationalised banks, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Dheeraj Kumar alias Parvesh Sharma, was traced and arrested from Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

"The case dates back to 2019 when a complaint was filed by a senior manager of a bank alleging that Kumar and his associates had fraudulently created a forged chain of title documents for a property in Sector-20 in Rohini. The property was then mortgaged with two banks, causing a wrongful loss of around Rs 44.95 lakh," Amrutha Guguloth, Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) said in a statement.

The officer further said that a case was registered at the EOW, and Kumar has since remained a key conspirator.

According to the statement, the accused had been operating under multiple identities for years, first assuming the name Parvesh Sharma, under which he allegedly forged sale deeds and opened bank accounts to receive loan proceeds. He later switched back to the name Dheeraj Singh to evade detection.

"Kumar, a resident of Bharatpur, had moved to Delhi in 2007 for a computer diploma course and later began living in rented accommodations across the city. Facing financial distress around 2009–10, he came into contact with other accused persons who allegedly introduced him to forged documents and illegal loan activities," read the statement.

He then became actively involved in preparing forged property papers, impersonation and laundering of loan funds. Over the years, Kumar allegedly kept changing locations and identities to avoid arrest.

"A recent digital trail linked to his forged identity finally helped the teams narrow down his whereabouts in Bharatpur, leading to his arrest," the Additional CP said.

The police said further investigation is underway. PTI BM NB