Online Gaming Fraud Suspect Surrenders in Nagpur After Three Months on the Run

An individual accused of swindling a Nagpur businessman out of Rs 58 crore in an online gaming fraud has surrendered to authorities in Nagpur after evading capture for nearly three months, police officials reported.

The accused, identified as Anant alias Sontu Navratan Jain, had absconded just before a police raid on his residence in Gondia city, located 160 km away from Nagpur. He had been on the run and had sought refuge in Dubai. Jain was accused of orchestrating an online gaming fraud that allegedly duped businessman Vikrant Agrawal.

Jain's quest for pre-arrest bail was denied by the Bombay High Court, after which he turned to the Supreme Court. However, on October 9, the Supreme Court upheld the HC's decision and instructed Jain to surrender to the police within seven days.

 The case unfolded when Vikrant Agrawal lodged a complaint, asserting that he had been defrauded of a substantial sum of Rs 58 crore by an online gaming platform. Agrawal claimed that the gaming results had been manipulated, leading to significant financial losses.

During a police raid in July, authorities confiscated Rs 17 crore in cash, 14 kg of gold, and 294 kg of silver from Jain's residence in Gondia, collectively valued at Rs 27 crore. Furthermore, on August 2, investigators uncovered an additional Rs 85 lakh in cash and gold exceeding Rs 4.5 crore, stored in bank lockers belonging to Jain and his family members. The surrender of the accused marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation.

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