DEHRADUN: After nearly a decade of alleged deception and months of official inaction, a Dehradun resident says he was forced to turn to the courts to trigger a police investigation into what he claims was a ₹2-crore investment fraud linked to a proposed hotel and hostel project in Mussoorie.
A Complaint That Began With a Promise of Investment
In 2014, Deepak Kumar, a resident of the Arjunwala–Kolhuket area near Mussoorie, was introduced to Gaurav Kiraad, according to a complaint later filed in court. Mr. Kiraad, the complaint states, learned details about Mr. Kumar’s financial position and land holdings and soon proposed a business partnership: a hotel and hostel project in Mussoorie.
The venture was presented as a joint investment, with assurances that profits would be shared equally. What began as a proposal, Mr. Kumar alleged, gradually turned into repeated requests for money, framed as necessary contributions toward land acquisition and project development.
Court records indicate that Mr. Kumar agreed to transfer funds after being persuaded that the project was moving forward and that his investment was secure.
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Money Transfers and the Use of Family Accounts
According to the complaint, between 2023 and 2024 Mr. Kumar transferred more than ₹2.02 crore in multiple instalments. Instead of directing the funds to a single business account, Mr. Kiraad allegedly instructed that the money be routed to different accounts — including those belonging to his wife, parents and a company linked to him.
The complaint notes that Mr. Kiraad cited income-tax considerations as the reason for this arrangement. Investigators are now examining these transactions as part of a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, dealing with cheating, criminal conspiracy and related offences. Police officials said the transfers and account trails form a central part of the ongoing inquiry.
Delays, Threats and a Turn to the Courts
As months passed, Mr. Kumar alleged that there was little evidence of progress on the hotel and hostel project. When he sought site details and construction updates, he was met with delays. The promised location, he said, was never shown to him.
When he demanded his money back, the complaint alleges, the response escalated. Mr. Kumar told authorities that he was subjected to verbal abuse, threats of physical harm and warnings that false criminal cases would be filed against him if he persisted.
He first approached the Mussoorie police station to report threats and later filed a complaint of cheating at Rajpur Police Station. With no action taken, he submitted representations to the Senior Superintendent of Police in Dehradun, and eventually sought judicial intervention.
A Court Order and the Opening of an Investigation
It was only after a court directed the police to act that a formal case was registered at Rajpur police station. Pradeep Rawat, the station in-charge, said the case had been filed under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and named four accused: Gaurav Kiraad, his wife Tina Kiraad, and his parents Suresh and Sunita.
Police officials confirmed that the investigation is underway and that financial records, bank transactions and the allegations of intimidation are being examined. No arrests have been reported so far.
