A search warrant has been issued against celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib and his son Anos Habib in connection with a multi-crore crypto fraud case. The father and son duo are accused of tricking more than 100 investors into putting money into Bitcoin and Binance coins through Follicle Global Company, which promised them unusually high returns.
According to a report by a local newspaper, the Sambhal police, led by Sub-Inspector Pavitra Parmar, went to Habib’s home in New Friends Colony, Delhi, with a search warrant. But Habib wasn’t there. Amjad Habib, Jawed’s brother, who was there, told the police that Jawed no longer lived there. The police searched the house for about 30 minutes before leaving. The police will now search Habib’s property in Mumbai, according to Superintendent of Police KK Bishnoi.
“Jawed Habib was not found at his Delhi residence, but the police will now go to his Mumbai address,” The SP said. “The team will seize all relevant documents and take all necessary steps to question him.”
The warrant was issued after 33 FIRs were filed against Habib, his son, and Saifullah, the head of the company’s Sambhal office, for allegedly promising investors 50 to 75% returns. The accused are said to have put together an event in 2023 at Royal Palace Venkat Hall in the Sarayateen area of Sambhal, where they urged people to buy Bitcoin and Binance coins.
The police said that about 150 people put in between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh each, which adds up to a total fraud of Rs 5–7 crore. The investors went to the police when they didn’t get their money back within a year. By then, reports indicated that Habib, his son, and some of his friends had shut down the business and fled into hiding.
The background story
The Uttar Pradesh Police in western UP filed 23 cases against Jawed Habib and Anas Habib for cheating (IPC section 420) and threatening to commit a crime (IPC section 506) earlier this month.
In 2023, they held an event in Sambhal where Jawed, Anas, and Saifullah Khan, the leader of their company Follicle Global Company (FLC), promised investors high profits from ₹35,000 a month and their money back with interest in three months if they invested in cryptocurrencies through 8–10 related companies.