In the infamous Rs 2,500-crore cryptocurrency scam in Himachal Pradesh (HP), as many as 80 people have been arrested in 13 different cases. From a Mercedes car to plots and agricultural land in Zirakpur, as well as an excavator, the Himachal Police have seized properties worth Rs 37 crore so far.
Among the accused, 76 are from Himachal Pradesh while four others are from outside the state.
The government shared this information in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday in response to a question from Shahpur MLA Kewal Singh Pathania.
So far, the government has seized movable and immovable assets from 14 accused individuals.
Properties worth around Rs 7 crore have been seized from the main accused, Subhash Sharma of Mandi. These include land parcels in Nabha and Zirakpur, plots on VIP Road in Zirakpur, a three-story building in Mandi registered in the name of his wife, Romita Kashyap, four commercial showrooms in Zirakpur, and land parcels in Una.
From Vijay Juneja, a resident of Zirakpur, properties worth Rs 20.54 crore have been seized. He had purchased agricultural land in Nabha village and Zirakpur between 2021 and 2024. These land parcels were jointly acquired by Juneja, his sons, and other accused individuals, including Subhash Chand, Sukhdev, and Hemraj.
From Hemraj, a resident of Mandi, properties worth Rs 3.04 crore have been seized. These include 5.95 hectares of land in Manali and several land parcels in Nabha and Zirakpur. Additionally, a Mercedes, a Grand i10 car worth Rs 45 lakh, and a Tata Hitachi excavator have also been seized.
From Paras Ram Sen, immovable assets worth Rs 2.53 crore have been seized. These include 12 fixed deposits (FDs) in different banks, a Creta car, two shops in VIP Enclave, Zirakpur, a shop in Nabha, Zirakpur, and land parcels in Mandi.
From Abhishek Sharma, a resident of Una, properties worth Rs 1.11 crore have been seized, including land parcels in Una and a share in a shop in Zirakpur.
Notably, the accused lured several people into investing their hard-earned money through websites. In exchange for their investments, they were given virtual currency.
The accused promised to double the investors’ money. While some individuals initially received returns on their investments, many others followed suit and invested in the schemes. However, the accused ultimately embezzled a massive amount through fake websites and fraudulent digital coins, failing to return the money to investors.