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Kanpur police file zero FIR
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The case serves as a cautionary reminder for NRIs to exercise due diligence before investing, particularly in schemes promising guaranteed or unusually high returns
Kanpur’s Kotwali police have registered a case involving the alleged cheating of a Dubai-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) to the tune of nearly ₹1 crore, highlighting once again the growing threat of cross-border investment frauds targeting overseas Indians. The complaint names alleged Ponzi-scheme operator Ravindranath Soni and his associates, Suraj Jumani and Gurneet Kaur.
According to police officials, the case has been filed under a zero crime number, a provision that allows police to register a complaint irrespective of jurisdiction. The matter will now be transferred to a police station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where the complainant is currently based, for further investigation.
The complainant, Manikandan Rajgopal, a resident of the Kolathur area in Chennai who was working in Dubai at the time of the alleged fraud, stated that he was approached in 2022 with an investment opportunity that promised unusually high and consistent returns. As per his statement, Gurneet Kaur contacted him over the phone and persuaded him to invest in a firm named Bluechip Commercial Broker Company, assuring a monthly dividend of 1.5 per cent.
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To test the credibility of the offer, Manikandan initially invested 36,700 dirhams, equivalent to about ₹9 lakh
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The amount was reportedly returned along with profits after a short period, which strengthened his confidence in the scheme
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Encouraged by this initial success, the accused allegedly raised the promised returns to between 3 and 4 per cent per month, projecting the investment as both safe and highly lucrative
Trusting these assurances, Manikandan went on to invest a total of ₹98.44 lakh in two instalments. However, within days, he found that the company’s office was shut and all communication with the accused had ceased. Subsequent inquiries revealed that the individuals involved had allegedly gone into hiding.
The complainant later learned through social media updates that Ravindranath Soni had been arrested by Kanpur police in connection with similar cases. Acting on this information, he travelled to Kanpur to lodge a formal complaint.
Confirming the development, ACP Kotwali Ashutosh Singh said the zero FIR was registered because the case involved multiple states and an overseas element. He added that once transferred, the police in the victim’s home district would carry out a detailed probe, including tracing the money trail and examining the role of each accused.
