Surat: A fugitive accused of embezzling crores of rupees through a statewide lucky draw and microfinance scam has been arrested by the Crime Branch after seven years on the run. The accused, who had been posing as a monk at an ashram in Rishikesh under the name Kishangiri Maharaj, was finally traced and caught at an ashram in Rajkot.

According to details, a fraud case was registered at Katargam Police Station in 2018. The main accused, Kantilal Tada, along with his partner Bharat Jariwala, had launched lucky draw, fixed deposit, and savings schemes under the name K. Patel Micro Finance at Lalita Chowkdi, Jamnaba Complex, and Udhana in Katargam. They expanded the scheme by opening branches in several towns, including Kim, Navsari, Virpur, Lunawada, Dabhoi, Derol, Halol, Ghoghamba, Savli, Anand, Jamnagar, Salaya, Anjar-Kutch, and Junagadh.

The gang lured investors by collecting ₹1,100 per month and offering monthly prize draws, promising either a bike or ₹54,000 in cash to the winner. Those who did not win were offered ₹55,000 after 40 months with interest. They operated draw schemes with 500 memberships and fixed-deposit schemes offering 0–15% interest for 1, 2, and 5-year terms. After collecting large sums of money, the gang switched off their phones and absconded.

The Crime Branch had been actively tracking Kantilal, who remained untraceable for seven years. Investigators eventually found that he had concealed his identity, adopted the appearance of a sadhu, and taken shelter in an ashram in Rishikesh.

Came to Rajkot to Visit Ailing Father

During the ongoing investigation, the Crime Branch learned that Kantila, aka. Kishangiri Maharaj had quietly returned to Rajkot a week ago to visit his father, who is suffering from cancer. He was hiding at Jogmadhi Ashram in Nagarpipliya, Lodhika taluka, where the Crime Branch finally apprehended him.

The accused, identified as Kantilal alias Kishangiri Ranchhod Tada (53), a resident of Malabar County near Nirma School in Chandlodia, Ahmedabad (originally from Nikava, Kalavad, Jamnagar), has been handed over to Katargam Police for further investigation. DeshGujarat