CB-CID busts iridium fraud racket, arrests 30 across Tamil Nadu, other states

CHENNAI: The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) has arrested 30 members of a gang involved in defrauding the public by misusing the name of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and luring victims with false claims of receiving huge sums of money from abroad through the sale of iridium. This is the second such case being investigated by the agency. Around four months ago, 13 had been arrested by the Salem detachment of CB-CID. The arrests follow reliable information indicating that several fraud gangs across the state have been operating bogus trusts without proper registration, fabricating documents in the name of the RBI, and deceiving people by promising crores of rupees from foreign sources. Acting swiftly, the CB-CID suo motu registered 13 cases across the state and launched a coordinated investigation. After the Salem arrest, the agency pursued further leads and conducted a massive, simultaneous search operation on Friday across 20 districts in Tamil Nadu and in four locations outside Tamil Nadu. During the operation, a total of 47 locations (43 in Tamil Nadu and four in other states) were raided by special teams consisting of 10 deputy superintendents of police, 35 inspectors of police, and 12 sub-inspectors. This large-scale operation led to the arrest of 30 suspects, including 5 key conspirators SHS Swaminatha of Chennai, Jeyaraj of Katpadi, AC Ravichandran from Kudumiyanmalai, Gnanaprakasam of Manapparai and Daisy Rani from Dindigul who belong to five major gangs. All arrested individuals have been remanded in judicial custody. Investigations are continuing to trace other members of the syndicate and their financial networks.