Punjab man facing 108 FIRs, absconding for 9 years, arrested in Uttarakhand

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police on Tuesday said it has arrested a man, who was facing more than 100 cases in Punjab and had been absconding for nine years, from Uttarakhand.

Neeraj Thathai alias Neeraj Arora was accused of collecting money from people in lieu of giving them residential or commercial plots.

Police said Arora had been absconding for the last 8-9 years and had been declared a proclaimed offender.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gursharan Singh Sandhu said the accused has 108 FIRs registered against him in 21 districts for allegedly defrauding people by promising money or plots to people in the state.

Of total 108 FIRs, 47 were registered in Fazilka, eight in Ferozepur, six each in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib, five each in Rupnagar, Mohali and SAS Nagar; four each in Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib and Jalandhar Commissionerate.

Police said Arora, who was arrested by the Fazilka Police in February 2016, had jumped bail and was declared a proclaimed offender in February 2017.

The Enforcement Directorate has also registered cases and attached his properties, while many writ petitions are pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against him, said the police.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the accused was using fake IDs to evade his arrest.

"The accused has more than 1,200 acres of land, and 200 residential flats in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh worth more than Rs 1,000 crore," he said.

The police nabbed Arora from Shri Nagar Garhwal in the Poudi district. The police also seized a luxury car, mobile phones and fake documents from his possession.