Man posing as seer in Vrindavan held for Rs 300 cr fraud

A man who allegedly defrauded thousands of people in Maharashtra of more than Rs 300 crore was nabbed after he was found living in the guise of a seer in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, to evade his arrest, the police said Friday.

Baban Vishwanath Shinde was held near the Krishna Balaram Temple in Vrindavan in a joint operation by the Vrindavan and Beed district police, they said.

According to police officers, Shinde was wanted in connection with multiple FIRs of fraud totalling around Rs 300 crore.

Deputy superintendent of police Sandip Kumar Singh said Shinde, had been evading capture by hiding in Delhi, Assam, Nepal and multiple districts of Uttar Pradesh, posing as a seer.

"He was ultimately found hiding in Vrindavan," Singh added.

The arrest was made late Tuesday night and Shinde was presented in court before the Chief Judicial Magistrate the following day.

A team of Crime Branch from Beed district of Maharashtra took custody of him after obtaining a transit remand from the Mathura court, according to officials.

According to sub-inspector SS Murkute, a member of the Special Investigation Team formed by Beed district's senior superintendent of police Avinash Bargal, Shinde lured individuals with promises of high interest rates on their deposits, convincing them to invest their money in four branches of a state cooperative bank.

"The total fraud committed by the accused includes properties purchased with the stolen funds," Murkute said.

The fraudulent activities have impacted over 2,000 individuals in the district, Murkute added.