Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nearly two weeks after India secured the return of the mastermind behind an Rs 88-crore investment fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has brought back his wife from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), tightening the net around one of Maharashtra’s high-profile crime cases.
Vishakha Rathod, who was wanted by Indian agencies and the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, was deported to India on August 3 following coordinated efforts by the CBI, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). She landed in Pune, where a team of the Maharashtra Police took her into custody. Investigators allege she played a big role in a financial fraud that duped investors of around Rs 88 crore by luring them into investment schemes with promises of guaranteed monthly returns.
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CBI SECURES RETURN THROUGH INTERPOL
The CBI said Vishakha Rathod was traced and brought back through close coordination with authorities in the UAE after an Interpol Red Notice was issued against her at India’s request. The CBI coordinated the operation with international agencies, while the MEA and MHA facilitated the diplomatic and legal process leading to her deportation.
Officials said Rathod is now in Maharashtra Police custody, where she will face further investigation and legal proceedings.
WHAT IS THE CASE?
According to investigators, Vishakha Rathod and her husband, Avinash Rathod, were part of a conspiracy that allegedly persuaded investors to put money into multiple investment schemes by promising fixed monthly returns.
Investigators allege the promises were false and that the money collected from investors was diverted through several bank accounts and demat accounts instead of being used for the stated purposes.
The fraud is estimated to be worth around Rs 88 crore.
Police believe the couple, along with other associates, systematically misappropriated investor funds before fleeing the country.
HUSBAND WAS BROUGHT BACK LAST MONTH
Vishakha Rathod’s deportation follows the return of her husband, Avinash Rathod, who investigators describe as the alleged mastermind of the fraud. A Red Notice was issued against both Avinash and Vishakha Rathod on June 4, 2026.
Acting on the notice, authorities in the UAE detained Avinash before deporting him to India on July 23.
He was arrested by Pune Police’s Economic Offences Wing upon landing at Mumbai International Airport and later produced before a court in Pune, which granted police his custodial remand for 10 days. Investigators have been questioning him about the alleged financial network and the movement of investor funds.
INDIA STEPS UP HUNT FOR FUGITIVES
The case is the latest in India’s broader drive to bring back economic offenders and fugitives who have escaped overseas. The CBI said it continues to work closely with Interpol and foreign law enforcement agencies to locate and return individuals wanted in criminal cases through established legal and diplomatic channels.
The agency acts as India’s National Central Bureau for Interpol and facilitates international cooperation through the Bharatpol platform.
The Centre informed Parliament earlier this week that India has successfully brought back 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries between 2019 and July 2026 as part of an intensified campaign to ensure offenders who flee abroad are brought back to face justice.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
