Indian Man in U.S. on Student Visa Arrested for $50k Elder Scam

An Indian man living in Toledo, Ohio, on a student visa was arrested for scamming $50,000 from an elderly couple.

Vedantkumar Bhupenbhai Patel, age 25, had been studying mechanical engineering technology at the University of Toledo when he allegedly committed the scam, per WTVG:

Patel had allegedly emailed a Michigan couple falsely informing they had pending fraudulent charges on their credit card for purchasing child pornography, “and that they’d need to withdraw $50,000 from their bank to prevent the charges from going through, according to the Shelby Township Police Department in Michigan.”

Patel allegedly told the couple to put the cash in a box for an employee with the Treasury Department to pick up — then told the couple not to tell anyone. Two days later, police said Patel drove from Toledo to Shelby Township where the couple gave him the box of cash.

Detectives later learned Patel “likely” already sent the stolen money back to his hometown in India. Authorities believe he was trying to scam others out of thousands of dollars. He’s under investigation in at least two other elder scams.

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After police arrested him, he was extradited to Michigan on charges of larceny and false pretenses. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have placed a detainer on him while a judge set him under a $100,000 cash surety bond.

“People that prey on the elderly are the most despicable type of criminals that I have dealt with in my 38+ years of law enforcement experience, and our department will use every available resource to identify and arrest these types of evil criminals,” Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said in a statement. “The investigative work by Detective Thomas Verdura was extraordinary. He was determined and persistent throughout, always looking for the next clue or fact.”

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