Gurugram couple arrested in multi-crore fraud case

Patna: Patna police arrested a couple from Gurugram, Haryana, in connection with a large-scale fraud case involving fake franchises, partnerships and investment schemes that allegedly duped people of crores of rupees.The case first came to light on Dec 31, 2025, when a complaint was registered at Gandhi Maidan police station alleging a fraud of around Rs 44 lakh committed in the name of granting a franchise. Considering the gravity of the matter, the senior superintendent of police, Patna, directed the formation of a special team under the supervision of the city superintendent of police (central), which began a detailed investigation.

On March 22, 2026, the police team arrested the main accused — Rahul Kalra and his wife Ruchi Kalra — from Gurugram and brought them to Patna on transit remand. They were produced in court on Tuesday.City SP (central) Diksha said multiple cases with the same accused and identical modus operandi have been registered across various police stations in Patna, including Gandhi Maidan, SK Puri and Patliputra. “So far, at least six cases have surfaced, with the total fraud amount detected reaching around Rs 5.66 crore.

However, ongoing investigation has uncovered evidence of embezzlement between Rs 10 crore and Rs 12 crore, and police suspect the total scam could run into Rs 100 crore as more complainants come forward,” she said.The SP said the accused allegedly lured people by promising high returns on low investments, offering franchises, shop setups or business partnerships.“The couple would initially return small amounts to early investors to build trust, but later failed to repay most victims and even evaded taxes and other dues.

The operation was running for nearly a year,” Diksha said.They had offices on Boring Road, Gandhi Maidan and two locations on Exhibition Road while residing in flats in Buddha Colony. Originally from outside Bihar, the couple had been active since around 2022. Police have also learned of similar activities in Bangalore, with one case already reported from there. Two additional cases were registered at Gandhi Maidan police station on Tuesday.According to the SP, the accused planned to flee to Dubai after collecting fresh investments, but were arrested before they could escape. An SIT comprising the SDPO, SHO and investigating officers was constituted to probe the cases jointly. So far, about 11 persons have been named as accused across the cases. Personal belongings of the arrested couple have been seized, and further action on their assets will follow court orders, the SP said.