A joint law enforcement operation in Baxter County has led to the arrests of three men accused of acting as “money mules” for overseas scam operations that have targeted area residents, authorities said.
The arrests followed the earlier detention of 31-year-old Wenyan Song, a Chinese national, on July 28 on a Baxter County warrant in a separate theft case tied to scams. Officials said the latest arrests were part of a multi-day operation involving local, state, and federal agencies working with Trilogy Media, a group that exposes scam activity.
On Thursday, Aug. 14, officers arrested 24-year-old Pruthviraj Ghanshyambha Butiya of St. Charles, Mo., after he allegedly picked up $60,000 in cash from an undercover officer posing as an elderly victim. Butiya, a citizen of India in the U.S. on a student visa, was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center on charges of theft of property and fleeing by vehicle. He is being held on $25,000 bond and is also subject to an immigration hold.
The next day, Aug. 15, 27-year-old Osazuwa Presley Ikponmwosa of Houston, Texas, was arrested in a separate $60,000 pickup. He was taken into custody at a residence in Mountain Home while allegedly posing as both a Federal Trade Commission agent and a PayPal representative. Ikponmwosa, a U.S. citizen, was jailed on a felony theft of property charge.
Authorities said a man who dropped Ikponmwosa at the home fled by car, leading officers on a chase through Mountain Home and into northern Baxter County. After a three-hour manhunt aided by a sheriff’s office helicopter and tracking dogs, officers arrested Pranav Sharma, 28, of Haltom City, Texas, in a wooded area near County Road 16. Sharma, a citizen of India, faces charges of felony theft of property, felony fleeing, and misdemeanor reckless driving. His bond was set at $25,000, and he is also under an immigration hold.
During the chase, deputies also arrested Gage Thurman, 22, after he allegedly misled officers about the suspect’s vehicle and blocked access to its location. He was booked on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing governmental operations.
Authorities believe as many as 10 other “money mules” were in the county during the operation but have since left the area.
The operation involved the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Home Police Department, Arkansas State Police, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Arkansas Division of Correction, and the Baxter County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
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