Fake film producer busted: Pan-India forex fraud exposed; Delhi police arrest mastermind

NEW DELHI: A 31-year-old man who allegedly posed as a film industry insider to execute high-value forex frauds across multiple states was arrested by the Delhi Police's crime branch.The accused, identified as Krishna Kumar Sharma from West Bengal's Hooghly, is believed to be the mastermind of a pan-India forex cheating racket. He was wanted in a case registered on Nov 14 at Kolkata's Shakespeare Sarani police station for cheating, impersonation and criminal conspiracy, in which he allegedly defrauded a victim of USD 15,000 and 1,000 euros, together valued at around Rs 14.5 lakh.An arrest warrant was issued against him on Saturday. His associate, Saurabh, had already been arrested by the Kolkata Police. Sharma was out on bail in a May 2024 case lodged at Connaught Place police station, where he allegedly stole USD 25,000."A tip-off was received on Saturday that he would be coming to meet someone in the Kiran Garden area of Uttam Nagar," said DCP (crime) Harsh Indora. He was subsequently nabbed.Police said Sharma projected himself as a film producer and scheduled meetings between 11 am and 2 pm in five-star hotels to win victims' trust. He allegedly roped in his nephew and several others to pose as bouncers, makeup artists and film crew members to bolster his image as a prominent director. He would then collect dollars and euros on the pretext of exchanging them at better rates or arranging celebrity-linked deals, before fleeing through back exits with his associates. The gang would immediately book flights and go underground, cops added.Police found that the group cheated multiple travel companies and forex exchangers as well. Their flights and hotel stays were booked only in cash, and they operated using multiple mobile phones, SIM cards and messenger applications to evade tracking. They would also carry chilli sprays and chloroform for "safety" during the crimes.Sharma has previous involvement across Mumbai, Greater Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. A BCom (Hons) graduate, he launched an event management and celebrity management firm and even produced a music video with a major label. He earlier duped a woman of Rs 45 lakh in 2023 in Mumbai's Amboli area on the pretext of signing an actor and was later released on bail.