Court Extends CBI Custody in $15M US Fraud Case

Rouse Avenue court extends CBI custody of Dhairya and Dhruv Khattar for three more days, while remanding another accused to judicial custody in a $15 million fraud case targeting US citizens. The court dismissed bail applications for 33 out of 43 accused, as investigations continue under Operation Chakra.

The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday extended the CBI custody of Dhairya and Dhruv Khattar for an additional three days, amid ongoing investigations into an alleged $15 million fraud targeting US citizens. One other accused was remanded to judicial custody.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Nishant Garg announced the extension until August 3. The CBI's request for further remand was based on new information that emerged during the investigation. The accused revealed the name of another individual who was not located at their registered address.

The CBI stressed that additional custody was necessary to uncover all details regarding the operation of an illegal call center. Earlier, the court had remanded three suspects into four-day custody while placing 40 others in judicial custody until August 9. Bail applications for 33 of the accused were dismissed.

In total, 43 individuals, including four women, were produced in court by the CBI after being detained under Operation Chakra. The accused were apprehended on July 25 following a comprehensive probe and searches conducted at a Gurugram call center. The CBI's FIR outlines a scheme defrauding US citizens of $15 million between November 2022 and April 2024.

Authorities discovered banned software at the call center, implicating the involvement of US and FBI agencies. The CBI recovered three mobile phones and a transaction diary from a car linked to the accused. Voice recordings also implicated Dhairya and Dhruv Khattar in discussions about the fraud.

Particular attention was given to Tushar Arora, a Cloud support engineer, who was believed to hold key information for unraveling the conspiracy. The defense argued against the custody extension, claiming procedural lapses during the arrests on July 24th and 25th.

The court heard arguments regarding discrepancies in the timing of the arrests, with the defense citing issues in the presentation and communication of charges. However, the CBI maintained that all actions were conducted lawfully and transparently.