CCB Police Nab Sam Peter, Wanted in Over 17 Fraud Cases
Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) police have arrested a 64-year-old man who allegedly posed as a director/official of the National Crime Investigation Bureau (NCIB) and cheated and extorted money from people. The accused had been absconding for nearly three years after securing bail and subsequently failing to appear before the court during the trial.
The arrested accused is identified as Sam Peter alias Danny Tharakan alias Antony (64), a resident of Maria Cottage, Kavanadu, Kollam, Kerala. Police said he was currently residing at an address in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, the accused, also known as T. Sam Peter/Rahul Peter, had formed his own gang and posed as officials of national investigative agencies. He allegedly targeted people involved in financial disputes, bank fraud and tax evasion cases, convincing them he was a powerful government official and collecting money through fraud and extortion.
In this connection, on August 16, 2019, Kadri police in Mangaluru raided a lodge in Pumpwell and arrested eight gang members, including Sam Peter. The accused was subsequently granted bail by the court. However, he allegedly failed to appear before the court during the proceedings and remained absconding for nearly three years.
Investigations revealed that the accused had been living under different identities in various states to conceal his real identity.
Police said he had used several names, including Antony, Rahul Peter, Sam Peter, Rajesh Robinson, Reethu Richard, Roy Jacob, Robin Richardson, Robinson, Antony Francis, Sharon Francis, and his current alias, Danny Tharakan.
According to the police, the accused had a pattern of committing offences in one location, moving to another place and changing his identity to evade law enforcement.
Police described Sam Peter as a notorious fraudster and said an Interpol Red Corner Notice had been issued against him under the alias Rahul Peter since 2001.
Cases have been registered against the accused in various places, including Mangaluru East Police Station, Ullal Police Station, Konaje Police Station, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru, Udupi City and Kushalnagar. Investigations also revealed around 17 cases involving cheating and fraud registered against him in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
In one case registered at Ullal Police Station, Mangaluru, warrants were reportedly issued against the accused on 17 occasions. In a case registered at Mangaluru East Police Station, a proclamation was issued against him after 14 warrants were issued, police said.
The arrested accused has been handed over to Mangaluru East Police Station for further legal action.
Officers and personnel of the Mangaluru City CCB unit were involved in the operation to trace and arrest the accused.