2021 Cyber Fraud Case: Punjab & Haryana High Court issues notice to 13 Police officers

February 25, 2026

Ludhiana: Major administrative action has finally been taken in the 2021 cyber fraud case involving 82-year-old businessman Varinder Sood of Udham Singh Nagar, Ludhiana. Police Commissioner Ludhiana Swapan Sharma has issued show-cause notices to 13 police officers for negligence in the case. These include three ACP-rank officers and several inspectors.

Businessman Varinder Sood has been seeking justice for the past five years and even approached the High Court in this matter. Now, the police have informed the High Court that action has been initiated against the concerned officers for delay and negligence in the investigation.

₹15 lakh withdrawn without OTP in 2021

The victim, Varinder Sood, who is involved in the pharmaceutical business, told the media that on April 14, 2021, ₹15 lakh was transferred from his bank account to various accounts without an OTP.

Based on the money trail, three accused were identified:

• Rajiv Kumar Sharma (Madhuban, Bihar)
• Chandan Kumar Paswan (Purnia, Bihar)
• Neelkamal (Palampur, Himachal Pradesh)

It is alleged that despite the accused being identified, the 13 investigating officers did not make serious efforts to arrest them.

Son caught the accused, police let him escape: Complainant

The victim’s son, Rishi Sood, through his own efforts, located the accused, Neelkamal. A raid was conducted in Panchrukhi, Palampur district, on July 1, 2021. According to the complaint, the accused was apprehended during the raid, but the police allowed him to escape under some pretext. The complainant states that no accused has been arrested since then.

Notices were issued to these officers:

Some of these officers are currently posted as SHOs in the Commissionerate.

Affidavit filed in the High Court

An affidavit filed by the Police Commissioner in the High Court on February 13, 2026, stated that this was a case of negligence and that appropriate action had been initiated against the concerned officers.

The state’s lawyer assured the court that the investigation report would be filed within four weeks under Section 173(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.