Rice-puller ‘scam’: Delhi Police arrests proclaimed offender in Rs 9-crore fraud case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police has arrested a proclaimed offender from Jaipur in connection with an alleged Rs 9-crore “rice puller” fraud, in which a businessman was duped into investing in purported antique items on the promise of massive returns, an officer of the force said on Tuesday.

Accused Satyanarayan Anoria (53) was arrested from Jaipur in Rajasthan in connection with a case registered in April 2020, the EOW said in a statement.

According to police, the complainant had alleged that he was approached in 2014 by Anoria and his associates, who claimed to possess expertise in rare and antique artefacts, including so-called rice pullers and radioactive mirrors.

The accused allegedly represented themselves as specialists connected with reputed scientific institutions in India and abroad, and claimed that only scientists from organisations, such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and archaeological laboratories, could verify the authenticity of the items, the statement said.

“To convince the complainant, the accused claimed that the artefacts had extraordinary scientific properties and were worth around Rs 11 crore per inch in the international market, promising enormous profits from future transactions,” it added.

Police said the complainant was subsequently persuaded to pay large sums of money towards testing charges, certification fees and other expenses. Over a period of time, he allegedly transferred nearly Rs 9 crore through RTGS transactions, cheques and cash payments.

“However, no genuine testing was conducted and no antique items were delivered,” the statement said, adding that the accused had allegedly conspired to cheat the complainant and siphon off the money.

Investigators said the fraud was executed through a well-planned scheme, in which the accused exploited the long-running myth surrounding “rice pullers” — objects falsely claimed to possess magnetic or radioactive properties and extraordinary commercial value.

A dedicated EOW team tracked Anoria to Jaipur and arrested him after sustained efforts, police said.

Also Read:

During the investigation, police found that Anoria was previously employed with the Jaipur Municipal Corporation but was dismissed from service in 2018 after allegedly being found involved in six similar financial-fraud cases. He is presently working as a priest at a temple.

Further investigation is on to identify others linked to the alleged fraud.