Chennai Conmen Busted: 'Anti-Graft' Scam Exposed

Two Chennai-based individuals orchestrated a Rs 25 lakh scam, using forged letters and fake emails, by creating a fictitious anti-graft organization. They duped victims into paying for positions within the non-existent group. The CBI has charged the duo and uncovered their network of deceit across Chennai and New Delhi.

Two alleged scamsters from Chennai devised a scheme using counterfeit letters from a Union Minister and a former president, as well as a fake email ID of a former chief justice of India, to defraud Rs 25 lakh from unsuspecting victims. The scam involved offering appointments as office bearers in a fictitious 'Anti Corruption and Anti Crime (ACAC) Wing', officials reported Monday.

Accused individuals, Reningston Sales and Vincent Raju, are said to have launched the fraudulent operation by convincing victims of their appointments to non-existent positions. As part of the deception, official-looking paraphernalia was fabricated, including letterheads with national symbols, stamps, ID and visiting cards. They even set up phony offices in Chennai and misled officials with a false head office address in Paharganj, Delhi, according to a CBI charge sheet.

The CBI investigation also revealed that the duo forged correspondence dated June 10, 2017, supposedly from the Union Minister, and on May 11, 2018, allegedly from the President of India to bolster their claims. Through these ploys, Sales and Raju collected substantial sums from their victims. The pair received anticipatory bail from the Delhi High Court but now face summons from the Special CBI Court after charges were recognized.

(With inputs from agencies.)