CELINA — A 22-year-old man was arrested as part of “Operation Money Trap” in Mercer County.
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The Celina Police Department, the FBI Northwest Ohio Safe Streets Task Force, Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office Detectives, and the Grand Lake Task Force conducted a successful sting operation targeting a man allegedly involved in a scam operation on Wednesday.
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Anurgdeep Singh, 22, was arrested after a days-long investigation, according to the Celina Police Department.
The investigation started on June 20 after a 72-year-old woman told police she lost a significant amount of money in a financial scam.
“The victim reported that she had been contacted by a scammer who falsely claimed her computer had been compromised with illicit and sexually explicit material,” the department said. “The scammer then threatened to expose this fabricated information and damage her reputation unless she paid them.”
After the initial scam, the suspects contacted the victim again and demanded more money.
However, the woman was determined not to be victimized again and informed authorities.
With her cooperation, investigators coordinated the sting, dubbed “Operation Money Trap.”
On June 24, a controlled cash exchange was arranged for the suspect to collect the demanded funds, the department said.
Investigators arrested Singh at the Marathon gas station on North Main Street in Celina during the exchange.
Singh remains booked in the Mercer County Jail on a felony theft charge.
The department said additional charges are expected, pending further review by Mercer County Prosecutor Erin Minor.
The police department added that Singh entered the country illegally in Arizona in 2022, but a New York judge granted him asylum in 2024.
“It takes strength and determination to stand up against criminals, and this victim’s cooperation helped prevent others from becoming victims of similar scams,” the department said.
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