Telangana’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) just landed a major blow against one of the state’s biggest financial scams in recent memory. On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, police arrested Vikas Kumar Sakhare, the former COO of the Falcon Group, in a breakthrough for the “Falcon Invoice Discounting” case. This investigation has uncovered over 7,000 victims across India, all caught up in a Ponzi scheme hiding behind a slick, tech-savvy financial services front.
Story Behind the Scam
At the heart of it all was the Falcon Invoice Discounting platform, run by M/s Capital Protection Force Private Limited. Their strategy combined flashy digital marketing with good old-fashioned deception:
- The Bait: They blitzed YouTube, Instagram, and Google with ads, promising “unbelievable” returns on short-term investments.
- The Illusion: The accused forged investment deals using the names of well-known multinational corporations. They handed out official-looking receipts and legal agreements to make the whole thing look legitimate.
- The Pitch: Investors were told their money would fund “invoice discounting”—a real financial practice where businesses sell unpaid invoices for quick cash. But there was no real business behind the scenes.
A Scam of Enormous Scale
CID Additional Director General Charu Sinha laid out the staggering numbers. The group raised around ₹4,215 crore from 7,056 people. To keep the Ponzi running, they paid early investors with new money coming in. Still, at least 4,065 people lost a combined ₹792 crore outright.
Key Figures:
- Total Collection: ₹4,215 crore
- Documented Loss: ₹792 crore
- Total Depositors: 7,056
- Identified Victims: 4,065
- Cases Registered: 13 (3 in Telangana, 10 elsewhere in India)
Arrests and the People behind the Curtain
Sakhare’s arrest comes after the high-profile capture of Managing Director Amardeep Kumar in early January 2026. Police picked up Kumar at Mumbai Airport after he returned from Iran, flagged by a Look out Circular. Sakhare, the 27th accused on the charge sheet, is believed to be the technical and promotional brains of the operation. Police seized his phone from his Hydershakot home, hoping it holds key evidence of the digital machinery behind the fraud. So far, 11 people—including company directors, executives, and a Chartered Accountant—are in judicial custody.
“The accused acted together to invent business deals and lure in depositors with promises of high returns. We urge the public not to trust online schemes offering unrealistic gains,” said Charu Sinha, Additional DG, Telangana CID.
The CID is moving to seize assets worth about ₹43 crore, including, 12 land plots, 4 luxury cars, 21 tolas of gold and ₹8 lakh in cash. The case was moved from Cyberabad’s Economic Offences Wing to the CID for a deeper look at the international money trail, which already stretches to countries like Iran.
A Word of Warning to Investors
When Falcon Group abruptly shut down its Hyderabad office on January 15, 2025, the fallout showed just how risky unverified digital platforms can be. Telangana Police advise: if a return sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
