Kolkata: Two fugitives were arrested in coordinated operations by the CBI after being deported to India through Interpol channels from US and Thailand.
Janarthanan Sundaram and Virendrabhai Manibhai Patel were wanted by various investigative agencies for big-ticket financial crimes and arrested on arrival on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu Case: Ponzi Scheme Fraud
Sundaram, who had duped investors of over Rs 87 crore through his Ponzi scheme, was deported from Bangkok and taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu Police at Kolkata airport, officials stated.
The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Chennai Police had registered a case against him related to offences of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, default in repayment of deposits/interest and offences committed under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019 and the offences under the Tamil Nadu Protection of Interests of Depositors Act, 1997.
On June 21, 2023, the CBI assisted in the Interpol Red Notice against Sundaram after a request from the Tamil Nadu Police. On January 28, 2025, he tried to enter Bangkok, but was refused admission because of the notification.
To guarantee his return, the CBI, India’s nodal agency for Interpol-related issues, worked with Interpol, the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, and airport authorities in Kolkata. In order to ensure his detention, a Tamil Nadu Police squad arrived from Chennai and took him into custody. He was arrested upon his arrival in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Gujarat Case: ₹77 Crore Bank Fraud
The fugitive in a bank fraud case was captured by the CBI’s Global Operations Centre in close collaboration with Gujarat Police and Ahmedabad airport officials.
In 2002, Gujarat Police filed a case against Patel, the director of Charotar Nagrik Sahakari Bank in Anand, for allegedly committing a fraud of Rs 77 crore. He was accused of criminal conspiracy, forgery of documents, using a forged document, cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
A Red Corner Notice was issued against him on March 3, 2004, and Gujarat Police has since been coordinating with the CBI to secure his deportation.
Patel was taken into custody after arriving Ahmedabad airport and later arrested by a Gujarat Police team, the CBI said in a statement.
The CBI is the National Central Bureau for Interpol in India, which coordinates closely with all law enforcement agencies in India for cooperation and assistance through Interpol channels. Since, 2021, over 100 wanted criminals have been returned to India through Interpol channels
