Food-delivery order led to arrest of Dubai-based BlueChip scam mastermind in India

UAE investors' long wait ends as BlueChip Group owner is arrested following an 18-month manhunt but they remain unsure if they will recover their money

- Mazhar Farooqui

BlueChip's empty office at Al Jawhara Building in Bur Dubai from where it operated and claimed to manage a $70 million portfolio with over 700 clients.

A food-delivery order placed on a Saturday afternoon in Dehradun has ended an 18-month manhunt for BlueChip Group owner Ravindra Nath Soni, the prime accused in one of the UAE's biggest investment frauds.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Law & Order, Kanpur Nagar, Anjali Vishwakarma, told Khaleej Times on Wednesday that the breakthrough came after her team traced an order placed from the hideout where Soni had been staying. "He was caught through a food-delivery order. I don't know what he ordered; we were in a hurry to grab him,' she said. "This is a big catch."

The arrest took place on November 30 in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand (a northern state of India). The city is located over 700km from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where he is now detained. A reward of Rs10,000 (Dh400) had earlier been announced for information leading to his capture.

Soni's bail plea was rejected on Wednesday, with the police saying they need more time to question him and track the money trail.

Soni, 44, was arrested after a Kanpur resident, Abdul Kareem, filed a fraud case against him in Kanpur on January 5. Kareem and his son Talha, who works in Dubai, said they invested Rs4 million (Dh162,000). Soni had promised to double the amount in three years

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Talha said he had also invested additional sums in Dubai. "We trusted him because the Dubai operations looked solid. Now we are following the case closely."