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Guwahati police have arrested a key suspect from Siliguri in West Bengal for his alleged involvement in an interstate fraud syndicate that swindled over Rs 11.50 crore from a local trading enterprise by using fabricated Indian Army procurement orders and impersonating defense officials. The accused, identified as 30-year-old Harsh Agarwal, was taken into custody during an interstate operation executed by a specialized team from Panbazar police station. According to police authorities, the fraudulent network targeted the commercial firm by exploiting business trust, presenting falsified defense supply contracts, deploying forged military paperwork, and manipulating transaction records to siphon public capital.
Fabricated Army Contracts Used to Trap Guwahati Trading Firm
The fraudulent operation directly victimized M/s Global Traders, a trading firm operating in Guwahati. Investigative findings revealed that Harsh Agarwal established contact with the complainant by presenting his brother, Ayush Agarwal, as an extended family acquaintance. During these initial business discussions, the suspect claimed that his brother controlled multiple lucrative procurement contracts for supplying commercial materials to the Indian Army. This manufactured relationship formed the operational foundation used to induce the enterprise into releasing significant capital.
To execute the scheme, the syndicate produced fabricated military supply documentation and forged financial instruments to mimic legitimate departmental clearing procedures. Suspects also engaged in the direct impersonation of serving military officers to project official authenticity and reassure the victims during negotiations. Through these deceptive practices, the accused orchestrated the illicit collection of Rs 11,50,56,180 from the trading entity under the pretext of servicing active armed forces supply requirements.
Technical Tracking and Inter-State Operation Lead to Arrest
Investigators tracked down the syndicate through an extensive analysis of digital trails, financial transactions across connected bank branches, and field intelligence inputs. These operational leads established Harsh Agarwal’s real-time presence in Siliguri, prompting the Panbazar police team to launch a targeted raid across state borders to apprehend him. Following his arrest, questioning is currently focused on identifying other individuals who assisted in drafting the forged military paperwork and facilitating the banking operations.
The Panbazar police registered a formal case under number 214/2026, invoking corresponding provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with sections of the Information Technology Act. As part of financial enforcement actions, investigators moved swiftly to restrict access to the diverted capital, successfully freezing more than Rs 2 crore distributed across several bank accounts associated with the accused network.
Probe Underway to Trace Missing Funds and Absconding Associates
The investigating team faces the ongoing operational task of mapping the remaining portions of the siphoned money and tracing subsequent financial transfers. Law enforcement officials are scrutinizing whether the fraudulent proceeds were transferred into additional intermediary accounts and whether the syndicate deployed identical deceptive tactics against other commercial establishments in the region.
Parallel search operations are actively underway to track down and arrest other absconding members of the syndicate, including collaborators who facilitated the impersonation of defense personnel. Special investigative attention is focused on locating the printing resources and logistical infrastructure used to fabricate the official army documentation and procurement seals. Comprehensive inquiries are progressing to dismantle the entire operational supply line of the fraud syndicate.
