Court records show Prashant pleaded guilty on June 29, while Bavadiya entered her guilty plea on August 17. Two Indian nationals, Gajera Prashant and Dharaben Bavadiya, have pleaded guilty for their roles in an alleged elderly fraud scheme in Gentry, Arkansas .
Both received five-year prison sentences, suspended, according to local authorities.
But in reality, the money was never there. The arrests followed a coordinated sting conducted by the Gentry Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Trilogy Media, a YouTube-based scam-baiting group known for helping law enforcement expose online fraud. The Highfill Police Department’s Drone Team monitored the suspects’ movements throughout the operation. After the fake cash was collected, officers arrested both suspects.
Gentry Police Detective Ryan Loftus told 5NEWS, “They eventually convince you that you’re going to get fired if they don’t get that money back. Police said the suspects repeatedly changed the meeting point between Harp’s Food Store and Jim’s Razorback Pizza before the exchange finally occurred. Multiple cameras recorded the exchange, according to the arrest affidavit cited by 5NEWS. Bavadiya, meanwhile, told police she had arrived in the United States only weeks before the operation that got her arrested. She claimed that her family in India was in danger and that she had been instructed to meet Prashant, according to the affidavit. She also said she was visiting the US for her clothing business.
Instead, Gentry Police Officer David Williamson went undercover as an elderly victim carrying fake currency. Williamson disguised himself with grey hair and slowly approached the suspect during the planned exchange. Once officers verified the serial number, the fake money changed hands.
Trilogy Media posed as a potential victim and persuaded the suspects to travel from India to collect $29,500 in cash, according to investigators.
Before receiving the package, the suspect reportedly had to provide the code word “Angel” and hand over a $1 bill with a pre-arranged serial number.
