An Indian man living in New Jersey, USA, has been arrested as he is facing allegations of targeting the elderly in an alleged gold scam. According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO), the 25-year-old suspect has been identified as Nigam Bhatt, who was residing in the United States on a work visa.
US authorities released details surrounding the case, stating Bhatt has been booked on extortion charges. He currently lives in Parsippany, New Jersey, and is accused of scamming an elderly Tangipahoa Parish man and extorting thousands of dollars in gold.
Indian work visa holder arrested in US amid gold scam operation
Nigam Bhatt from India was taken into custody on April 7, 2026, before he could take more than $800,000 in gold from the Tangipahoa Parish victim. While the investigation is ongoing, the arrest occurred after detectives in Collin County, Texas, contacted the TPSO regarding a gold scam operation.
How was the Indian gold scam suspect arrested in the US?
The scheme involved suspects contacting victims and warning them that their bank accounts and social security benefits were frozen. The accused are believed to have falsely reassured victims that exchanging gold was the only way to release their assets. The investigation helped detectives discover several senior citizen victims, including one in the Kentwood area, Louisiana.
The sheriff’s office ultimately learned about Nigam Bhatt’s next trip to the Kentwood area. With help from the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, local authorities apprehended him just before he could defraud an elderly man of more than $800,000 in gold, according to local US news outlet WDSU.
Bhatt is not the only Indian-origin individual recently scrutinised for alleged involvement in fraud schemes in the US.
Just earlier this month, 23-year-old Tushar Sharma of India was arrested in Chenango County, New York, and accused of scamming $200,000 from a victim. Taken into custody on April 1, Sharma now faces Grand Larceny in the second degree (a class C felony), Scheme to Defraud in the first degree (a class E felony), and Conspiracy in the fourth degree (a class E felony). He had been living in California.