{
  "id": 9058688,
  "title": "Posh hotel office, private chopper, a ‘diplomat’: How Delhi firm pitched ‘Indo-US’ scam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/posh-hotel-office-private-chopper-a-diplomat-how-delhi-firm-pitched",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T01:30:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-firm-indo-us-scam-vpvv-techno-construction-investors-10888286/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In September, Sanjiv Rao invested Rs 1.08 lakh in VPVV Techno Construction Pvt. Ltd., a Delhi-based company, after being introduced by a friend. The company claimed to be recognized by the Federal Government of the United States and the United States Department of Defence (DOD) for an 'Indo-US Pacific Peace Treaty' project. The office was located in an upscale hotel in Delhi, and presented itself with American and Indian flags, photographs of Indian and US leaders, and a convincing 3D video of the project. Rao received an \"MoU\" stating that VPVV had received a US government work order approved by the Government of India. However, he later heard that the project was fake and pressured the company to return his earnest money deposit. After recovering his investment, Rao filed an RTI request with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to inquire whether the Government of India acknowledged any such agreement with VPVV. The MEA replied that they had not received such a proposal, communication, or representation. This led to an FIR being registered against the promoters of VPVV, Venkita Venkat, Hitesh Kumar, and Rahul Rajeev Nair. Madhu Nambiar, an investor who made a larger commitment than Rao, also filed a complaint in 2023 regarding VPVV's promises of substantial project funding and annual work orders worth Rs 500 crore at a 20% profit margin. The FIR alleged that the promoters presented themselves as a \"diplomat\" and \"Chief Patron\" of the company, displayed official seals and insignia of the US government, and invited investors to a \"Bhoomi Poojan\" with the Indian and US flags prominently displayed.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}