Wanted by Interpol, scamster from Singapore arrested near INA market
    - By Rahul Chhabra, Times of India

NEW DELHI : A businessman allegedly involved in a financial fraud worth Rs. 3.3 crore in Singapore was arrested from the INA market area in south Delhi on Tuesday.

Salwant Singh alias Salwant Sandhu, 39, allegedly played a key role in a fraud revolving around misuse of credit cards in Singapore, about two years ago. His wife, Zuraini Abdul Rahim, 35, who is also suspected to be involved in the fraud, reportedly managed to escape from the INA market area while Salwant was surrounded by private detectives, who took him to the Kotla Mubarakpur police. An Interpol arrest warrant was pending against the couple.

Salwant, a Singapore national whose two children, aged 3 and 2, and mother are still in that country, was travelling in a Maruti Baleno car (CH 3D 1111) at the time he was taken into custody. He is reportedly holding two accounts in HDFC Bank - one in the name of Pritpal Singh and another in the name of Salwant Singh. Salwant is reported to have set up a temporary base in Chandigarh after closing down their "phone services" business in Singapore and returned to India in August 1999. Before moving to Chandigarh, Salwant and his wife stayed in south India. His wife is from Kerala. Every time he drove down to the Capital in his Mercedes car, he reportedly stayed in five star hotels. He is believed to be a member clubs in various five star hotels in the Capital. He also reported to be a member of a few credit card clubs. Salwant is reported to be a frequent visitor to the World Trade Centre in Connaught Place, New Friends Colony and Nehru Place, the police said.

The police said Salwant was planning to start a phone service business in Chandigarh and had been frequenting Mumbai and Delhi for recruiting staff for the purpose. The couple's alleged fraud in Singapore was detected in June 1999 when several subscribers of a telecom service provider complained that they were being billed for Visa credit card transactions, which they had not authorised. In March 1999, Salwant and his wife, who was his former partner in the business, were reportedly fined in Singapore for providing direct dial international phone service without a license.

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