V.K Sharma, owner of JVG group, who has been on the run for the past three years after allegedly duping lakhs of investors of around Rs 1,000 crore, has been arrested here, police said on Tuesday.

Sharma was apprehended from near Pragati Maidan after a chase of around 10 km last evening, Ravindra Yadav, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), said. He was driving a Mercedes E-class car when arrested.

A 51-year-old school drop-out, Sharma aimed at setting up a Rs 12,000 crore business empire but allegedly ended up as a cheat. He had a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head.

“He is wanted in ten cases of cheating. He floated 17 companies and cheated lakhs of investors all over the country to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore,” he said.

Sharma, son of a former government school teacher, was apprehended after a dramatic chase from Kailash Colony to Bhairon Road. Two Head Constables caught hold of Sharma from the driver side and took out the vehicle keys while another entered the car from the other side and overpowered him.

“Sharma had grand plans for expanding JVG to a Rs 12,000-crore empire by 2000. He announced that he would invest over Rs 4,000 crore in diverse areas such as power, cement, hotels, steel, textiles and aviation. He also launched ‘Avatar’ brand of detergent and washing bars to enter the FMCG segment.

“He wanted to set up mega townships in Gurgaon, Patna, Mumbai and Hyderabad, and to acquire hotel and cement interests of the Jaiprakash Industries, the steel units of Rathi Alloys and the aircraft of ModiLuft,” Yadav said.

Related Topics