CBI secures return of fugitive accused in Singapore scam case
New Delhi, Sept 10 (TNT): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has secured the return to India of long-absconding accused Harnek Singh, wanted in connection with a Singapore-based scam case, the officials said on Thursday.
Singh, against whom an Interpol Red Notice and Look-Out Circular (LOC) were in force, was deported from the USA and apprehended by CBI officials on his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport here on September 9, 2026.
He will be produced before the Court of the Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI Cases), Panchkula, Haryana, at the earliest, the CBI said in a press release.
The CBI, Delhi, had registered a case in 2016 against Singh and others for alleged offences including conspiracy, cheating, forgery and use of forged documents as genuine under the IPC and offences under the Information Technology Act.
According to the investigation, during 2013, Indian nationals residing or working in Singapore were allegedly contacted through spoofed calls by fraudsters operating from India and impersonating Singapore Immigration authorities.
The victims were falsely informed that they had furnished incorrect information in their disembarkation forms and faced criminal prosecution and deportation. They were subsequently induced to pay purported settlement fees or fines through Western Union Money Transfer to designated recipients in India.
The investigation established that the cheated money was received through a money-transfer outlet operated by Singh in association with co-accused Aditya Bhardwaj and Deepak Jain.
Singh fled India in May 2013 and subsequently entered the USA illegally, where he remained absconding for more than a decade.
The trial against Bhardwaj and Jain was concluded before the competent court and both were convicted on May 26, 2025.
Despite summons and a bailable warrant being served on him in the USA through the US Department of Justice, Singh failed to appear before the trial court.
Subsequently, an open-dated non-bailable warrant was issued against him by the Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Panchkula, on April 22, 2024.
The CBI thereafter pursued the matter through Interpol channels, resulting in the publication of an Interpol Red Notice against Singh and opening of an LOC against his passport.
The agency said the operation reflected its continued efforts to pursue fugitive accused through international law-enforcement and diplomatic channels, including Interpol mechanisms, LOCs and coordination with foreign authorities.
TNT KM
