Couple arrested for duping investors of Rs 150 crore in Panipat

The Panipat police have arrested a couple for allegedly defrauding investors of

Rs 150 crore on the pretext of doubling their money. The police have recovered a Fortuner vehicle, one Verna car and Rs 2 lakh cash from the accused. The accused have been identified as Rinku Dhanda and his wife Sonia.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Lokender Singh said the accused couple, along with their accomplice, formed a company named GFX Academy and Trade Private Limited in 2019, promising to double the investment of people within 10 months. After providing benefits for four years, the company was shutdown in 2024. Later, complaints against the accused, who owned the firm, were filed in Panipat and other districts.

Singh further said on March 31, Suresh of Panipat in his complaint at the SP office alleged that he had relations with Nirdosh Kumar, who apprised him about the GFX company’s plan. In May 2023, he brought Rinku Dhanda, Sonia Dhanda and Anjali to his house and they assured him that the company was giving huge benefits to investors. They lured complainant to invest in their company by promising to double his money within 40 weeks and return funds to him. Trusting them, he created GFX ID with an investment of Rs 10 lakh on June 3, 2023, but did not receive any receipt from the firm. After that, the complainant received Rs 3.43 lakh in small amounts.

In September 2023, Suresh created another GFX ID with an investment of Rs 20 lakh and received no receipt for depositing money from the company. By October 2023, the company absconded with people’s money.

Following the complaint, the SP handed over the investigation to the special detective unit and a case was registered at the Chandni Bagh police station under various sections of the IPC. SP Lokender Singh said the special detective unit arrested company director Rinku Dhanda from Morinda in Rupnagar of Punjab on Tuesday and brought him on four-day police remand. During investigation, the accused revealed that he, along with his wife Sonia, his friend Nirdosh formed a network marketing company at Panipat in 2019 with the name of GFX Academy and Trade Private Limited. Anjali, wife of Nirdosh, also worked in the firm’s office, the SP said.

The accused further revealed that around 20,000 people invested crores of rupees in their company. After giving benefits to investors for four years, the accused shut the firm in 2024. The police arrested Rinku Dhanda’s wife Sonia on Saturday. The accused couple purchased a Fortuner and a Verna car with the money they had swindled from investors. The accused were produced in a court after the completion of police remand which sent them to judicial custody.

The SP said three cases were registered against the company in Panipat, two in Jind district and one in Karnal.

Haryana Tribune