Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand): In a significant breakthrough in a long-pending financial fraud case, the Uttarakhand Police have arrested Ravindra Mohan, a prime accused in the Himgiri Plantation investment scam, more than 25 years after the alleged fraud was first reported. The accused had been on the run since 2001.
Police officials said Ravindra Mohan was apprehended by the Special Operations Group (SOG) from Phata in Rudraprayag district after receiving specific intelligence about his movement. He was taken into custody on Monday and later produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody.
Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar said the arrest followed sustained surveillance and a credible tip-off indicating that the accused would attend a private event in the region.
“The accused had managed to evade arrest for over two decades. Acting on local intelligence, the SOG laid a trap and arrested him without resistance,” the officer said.
Company Promised High Returns
The case pertains to alleged investment fraud dating back to 1993, when Ravindra Mohan and his brother Rakesh Mohan promoted a firm named Himgiri Plantation. According to police records and the original complaint, the company promised investors high and assured returns, including claims of doubling invested amounts within a short duration, ostensibly through plantation and agriculture-based ventures.
These assurances reportedly attracted a large number of small investors, particularly from rural and semi-urban areas, who invested their savings in the scheme. However, returns were never paid, and investors later alleged that the company’s operations were fraudulent.
Complaint Filed in 2001
In 2001, a complaint was filed at the Gopeshwar Police Station by Shiv Prasad, accusing the promoters of cheating and misappropriation of funds. Soon after the complaint was registered, both Ravindra Mohan and Rakesh Mohan allegedly went underground.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. Investigators estimated that the accused had defrauded the public of several lakhs of rupees, a substantial amount at the time, though officials said the exact figure would be reassessed during further investigation.
Declared Proclaimed Offenders
With repeated attempts to trace the accused failing, a court in Chamoli later declared both brothers proclaimed offenders. Non-bailable warrants were issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, but the accused remained absconding for years, frequently changing locations to avoid detection.
Police officials said the lack of digitised records and limited technological tools during the 1990s and early 2000s posed challenges in tracking the accused. Despite this, the case continued to remain on police records, with periodic efforts to locate the fugitives.
Hunt On for Second Accused
Following Ravindra Mohan’s arrest, the police have stepped up efforts to trace Rakesh Mohan, who is believed to have played an equal role in promoting and operating the alleged scheme.
“We are actively pursuing all available leads. Questioning of the arrested accused is expected to provide important inputs regarding the whereabouts of the second accused and the flow of funds,” SP Panwar said.
Officials indicated that investigators will also examine whether proceeds from the alleged fraud were invested in assets or routed through other entities.
Message on Economic Offences
The arrest highlights the persistence of law enforcement agencies in pursuing economic offences, even after long periods of dormancy. Senior police officials said the case sends a strong signal that financial crimes do not lapse with time, and accused persons remain liable to face prosecution regardless of how long they evade the law.
For investors who had put money into the Himgiri Plantation scheme, the development has rekindled expectations of accountability after decades of uncertainty.
