Nagpur: The Nagpur police have taken decisive action against a notorious online gaming fraudster identified as Anant alias Sontu Navratan Jain (40) hailing from Civil Lines, Gondia. Following a significant raid on Saturday, where the police seized substantial assets, they have promptly issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) to prevent the suspect from evading the law. This short report outlines the key details of the incident based on media reports.
Details of the Raid: During the operation conducted by the Nagpur police, an impressive haul was recovered from the premises of Anant alias Sontu Navratan Jain. The authorities seized a staggering sum of Rs 17 crore in cash, indicating the magnitude of the alleged fraudulent activities carried out by the suspect. Additionally, the raid resulted in the confiscation of 14 kilograms of gold and an astounding 294 kilograms of silver, collectively valued at Rs 27 crore. These assets point to a well-organized and substantial operation involving the accused.
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25 April 2025
According to a police official, the LOC was issued against Sontu who has been absconding, and is reportedly staying in Dubai. “If the immigration officers of a country at the airport have a Lookout Circular against an absconding offender, the absconding person can be nabbed by the officer. Thus, we are expecting the arrest of Sontu as soon as he checks-in at any airport across the globe,” the official informed.
The Nagpur Commissioner of Police (CP) Amitesh Kumar said that the seized cash would be deposited in the bank on Monday while the gold would be sent to a Government appointed auditor for verification. He said many complainants are expected to come forward against Sontu in the next couple of days as he had allegedly defrauded many people of crores of rupees through an online application called “Diamond Exchange dot com.”
The fraud came to light after a victim, a businessman with interests in grain and transport, approached the police. The businessman was fond of gambling and so was introduced to the accused, Sontu, by two traders from Nagpur. Sontu allegedly convinced the victim to use his online gaming application, providing him with a username ID and password after taking an initial amount of Rs 8.50 lakh. The businessman had borrowed substantial sums from friends and relatives to fund his hobby of gambling. However, he later realised that the application was designed to manipulate results ensuring that the player always lost.
Feeling cheated and desperate to get back his lost money, the businessman confronted Sontu demanding his money back, but the latter refused. On the contrary, Sontu demanded the remaining amount of Rs 40 lakh from the businessman, which he had lost in the gamble. Sontu even threatened to kill him if he did not repay the amount. Following the threat, the victim managed to gather Rs 40 lakh from his friends and transferred the money to Sontu through a hawala trader last week. Depressed over the deteriorating financial situation, the victim attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills. Finally, with support from family members, he mustered courage and lodged a complaint with the police.
