In a dramatic conclusion to a seven-year manhunt, the Surat Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police have finally apprehended 53-year-old Kantilal Tada, the mastermind behind an extensive Rs 84 lakh cheating scheme that spanned multiple cities across Gujarat.
The Elusive Fugitive's Capture
Kantilal Tada, who had been successfully evading law enforcement since 2018, was arrested at Jogmadhi Ashram in Lodhika taluka of Rajkot district. The breakthrough came when Tada returned to Gujarat to visit his ailing father, who is currently battling cancer in Jamnagar.
According to Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, Tada had adopted an ingenious disguise to avoid detection. "He had been hiding in an ashram in Rishikesh and had become a monk to evade arrest," Gahlaut revealed. The fugitive had switched off his mobile phone in Surat and maintained a low profile throughout his seven years on the run.
The Widespread Fraud Operation
Investigations reveal that Tada operated a sophisticated network of fraudulent schemes under the banners of K Patel and Associates and K Patel Micro Finance companies. He established offices in Surat's Katargam and Udhna areas, as well as in multiple other cities including Rajkot, Jamnagar, Navsari, Junagadh, Anand, and Anjar.
The primary scheme involved promising investors either a motorcycle or Rs 54,000 after 40 months in exchange for monthly instalments of Rs 1,100. Additionally, Tada floated one-year, two-year, and five-year deposit schemes, collecting substantial amounts from hundreds of depositors across Gujarat before abruptly disappearing with their money.
The Investigation Breakthrough
Police commissioner Gahlaut explained how the special teams formed to track absconding accused persons finally got their man. "One such team noticed his movements in Rajkot and apprehended him," he stated. The police are now investigating who might have assisted Tada during his seven years as a fugitive.
To avoid detection during his visit to Gujarat, Tada had chosen to stay at the ashram in Lodhika taluka, making careful trips to Jamnagar to visit his sick father and returning to the ashram afterward.
The investigation has revealed that Tada, originally a resident of Ahmedabad, owns a flat in the Malabar County society in Chandlodia. The police are now working to uncover the complete network that enabled his long evasion from justice and identify all individuals who may have benefited from or assisted in the fraudulent schemes.
