Delhi Police calls in Elvish Yadav and Bharti Singh for questioning in Rs 500 crore app-based fraud case

Bharti Singh and Elvish Yadav were unexpectedly served legal notices by the Delhi Police. As per the reports, police officials called them in for supposedly endorsing an app named Hibox. According to a police official, the app may appear harmless but has been used to carry out investment scams totaling Rs 500 crore, deceiving many individuals. The summons was sent out following more than 500 reported complaints, alleging that various social media influencers, YouTubers, and other popular figures were encouraging audiences to utilize the app.

Police reported that well-known individuals such as Saurav Joshi, Abhishek Malhan (also known as Fukra Insaan), Purav Jha, Elvish Yadav, Bharti Singh, Haarsh Limbachiyaa, Lakshay Choudhary, Adarsh Singh, Amit (also known as Crazy XYZ), and Dilraj Singh Rawat (also known as Indian hacker) were involved in promoting the Hibox app and enticing people to invest through it. 

Officials claim that these famous individuals lured people into investing in a mobile app through ads and promotions, promising high profits. Currently, IFSO has summoned five of the 10 mentioned influencers. DCP (IFSO) Hemant Tiwari mentioned that Elvish Yadav and Bharti Singh are two of the five individuals who have been called in for questioning, with more individuals expected to be summoned in the near future. The influencers will be asked about their relationship with the mobile app and the payment they got for promoting the brand during the inquiry.

The Delhi Police said that over 30,000 people were tricked by the Hibox app. The primary suspect, J. Sivaram, has been apprehended by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Special Cells. At the age of 30, he is said to live in Chennai and has worked as a director for Hibox's parent company, Sutrulla Express Private Limited. Police have confiscated Rs 18 crore from his four bank accounts.

The Hibox smartphone app was released in February 2024 after being developed in July 2023. A law enforcement officer said that the defendant developed the backend, opened merchant accounts with Easebuzz and PhonePe, and founded front offices in Noida in 2023, before officially launching the app.

In April 2024, after YouTubers and other influencers shared promotional videos, the app launched giving movements for investing chances. DCP Tiwari stated that Hibox had achieved impressive returns of 1% daily and 30% monthly in the first five months, lasting for 24 hours per block. Nevertheless, beginning in the initial week of July, the app started holding back payments from users due to reasons like technical issues, GST concerns, and more.

An official confirmed that all phone numbers associated with the company were tracked, and the call detail records (CDRs) from the past two years were examined. It was discovered that Sivaram, the owner of the company, frequently switched phone numbers and relocated back and forth between Delhi and Chennai. Following the complaints, they conducted raids at the Chennai offices and several potential spots in Delhi. Sivaram, the prime suspect, was apprehended in Delhi immediately upon his arrival from Chennai.

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