Glamorous Lifestyle a Facade? Indian-Origin Couple Arrested for $33 Crore Scam in US, Duped Over 100 People

Texas (The Uttam Hindu): A couple famous for their luxurious lifestyle among the Indian-American community in Texas, USA, has been arrested on charges of real estate fraud worth crores of rupees. Siddharth 'Sammy' Mukherjee and his wife Sunita are accused of defrauding more than 100 people of $ 4 million (about Rs 33 crore) through fake investment schemes.

According to the Daily Mail report, the Mukherjee couple is currently in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and has been charged with serious first-degree theft. The couple was very popular in the Indian-American community in Plano, Texas, due to their glamorous lifestyle, which they took advantage of to make people their victims.

According to investigators, the Mukerjeas lured investors with high returns and asked them to invest in real estate projects that never existed. To make their fraud look authentic, they created completely credible documents, including fake remodeling contracts and fake invoices from the Dallas Housing Authority.

The fraud came to light when dividend checks to investors started bouncing. The case was exposed in 2024 when a couple contacted the police after losing $325,000 (about Rs 2.7 crore). When Ulysses Police Detective Brian Brennan started the investigation, the FBI was also involved in it due to the seriousness of the case.

Investigating officer Brian Brennan said that in his 23 years of career he had never seen a cunning fraudster like Sammy Mukherjee. Investigation of the invoices of the Dallas Housing Authority confirmed that all these projects were completely fictitious. Many victims said that the personality of the couple was so charming and trustworthy that it was difficult to doubt them.

Authorities have officially recorded the names of only 20 victims so far, but they believe the total number of people who have been duped could be more than 100. Investigators hope that more victims may come forward in the coming days, which could lead to new revelations about this fraud.

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