Police probing the cyber fraud worth around ₹315 crore that led to the arrest of industrialist Pawan Ruia have now shifted focus to the alleged role of the other members of the Ruia family, whose names emerged during the investigation, sources in Bengal Police said.
The police had found evidence linking the fraud to several members of the Ruia family, said sources. Some of their names feature on the FIR drawn up by the state police’s cybercrime wing.
“We are in the process of taking the next step,” a senior officer of the cybercrime wing said a day after Ruia was picked up in front of a New Town hotel.
Police have mentioned the names of Pawan Kumar Ruia, Sarita Ruia, Raghav Ruia, Pallavi Ruia and Sakshi Ruia in their FIR as alleged beneficiaries of the proceeds of the crime, sources said.
“The inquiry so far has revealed that there are many bank accounts in the names of these persons and money from 23 reported cyber frauds directly landed in those bank accounts,” an officer attached to the probe said.
Some of the Ruia family members were summoned last year in connection with the probe. “Some of them claimed innocence about the source of the money credited to their accounts. We are taking the next course of action as per the findings of the investigation,” a senior officer said on Wednesday.
Ruia was produced at Bidhannagar court on Wednesday afternoon. He has been remanded in police custody for a week.
So far, the police have seized all the cars registered in the names of the companies whose names emerged during the investigation of the cyber frauds. The Ruias used the cars, the police said.
Last year, the police arrested a co-accused at Delhi airport, and he was identified as Rahul Verma. He was allegedly trying to flee to London. Sources said his arrest led the cops to gain clinching evidence against the Ruias.
Verma is now in judicial remand.
Sources said the police were contemplating attachment of property after completing the formalities of the investigation.
The police had initiated a suo motu case based on their probe into cybercrime cases whose proceeds — amounting to ₹315 crore — were traced to bank accounts of shell companies allegedly belonging to members of the Ruia family.
Pawan Ruia had, after that, moved Calcutta High Court and obtained legal protection for himself and his family. He was arrested immediately after that protection lapsed.