Ludhiana man held in ₹2.34 crore cyber fraud targeting retired Colonel

Police have arrested the prime accused in a ₹2.34 crore cyber fraud that swindled an 80-year-old retired Colonel in Panchkula, unearthing what investigators believe is part of a wider organized racket.

Harjot Singh, alias Samar, a resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, was taken into custody on August 12 and remanded to two days of police custody. His arrest follows that of co-accused Govind Singh Randhawa, already in judicial custody.

The case began on September 11, 2024, when Colonel (retd) Jagwant Singh of Sector 2, Panchkula, reported being duped after receiving a WhatsApp message from a man claiming to be an employee of a stock market firm. Tempted with promises of lucrative returns, the veteran was persuaded to invest — only to lose over ₹2.34 crore to the fraudsters.

Police said preliminary investigation shows Harjot Singh has multiple cyber fraud cases registered against him in Gurugram and Ludhiana. Interrogations are now focused on tracing other members of the network and recovering the siphoned funds.

“This appears to be a coordinated, multi-city cyber fraud operation. More arrests are likely,” a senior Panchkula police officer said.