In short. To file an EOW complaint in Delhi, submit a written complaint with indexed documents to the Economic Offences Wing at the Mandir Marg police station complex, or have a district complaint transferred. The EOW usually holds a preliminary enquiry, calls both parties, then decides whether to register an FIR. If you receive an EOW notice, attend with documents, give a careful written reply and assess arrest risk early.
Most people meet the EOW in one of two ways. Either they have lost a large sum to a builder, a business partner, a company or an investment scheme and want the police to act, or they receive a call or a notice saying a complaint against them is being enquired into. Both sides tend to make the same mistake: they treat the first meeting as informal. It is not. The enquiry officer is building a file that will decide whether a case is registered and, if it is, how it is framed.
This post is about the EOW as an institution and its process. What makes a transaction cheating or criminal breach of trust is covered in our post on cheating and criminal breach of trust under the BNS. For the wider practice area, see our page for an economic offences lawyer, and for Delhi police stations and courts generally, our page for a criminal lawyer in Delhi.
- What it is
- Specialised wing of the Delhi Police for economic offences
- Where
- Police station EOW, Mandir Marg complex, with jurisdiction over all of Delhi
- Typical cases
- Cheating, breach of trust, forgery, investment, bank, land and housing frauds
- Threshold
- Larger cases; its website mentions ₹3 crore and above (check the current order)
- Before an FIR
- Preliminary enquiry, with both sides usually called
- Main laws
- BNS Sections 316, 318, 336 to 340; BNSS for procedure
What is the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police?
The EOW is a specialised unit of the Delhi Police that investigates serious economic crime. It began as part of the Crime Branch and became a separate unit in 2014. It has its own police station, notified in 2007 with jurisdiction over the whole of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and it works from the Mandir Marg police station complex. Because its police station covers all of Delhi, a complainant does not need to find the local station where the fraud took place; the FIR, if registered, is registered at PS EOW.
Its investigators are organised by type of fraud, such as banking, housing and land, and investment and deposit schemes. That specialisation is the main reason complainants want their case there. EOW officers are used to reading balance sheets, bank trails, builder agreements and company records, and they have more experience of tracing money than a local station busy with street crime.
The EOW is still a police unit. It investigates offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and other laws, follows the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 for procedure, and files its chargesheets in the ordinary criminal courts. It is not a tribunal, it does not decide civil disputes, and it cannot order anyone to pay money.
Which cases does the EOW Delhi take up?
The EOW takes up larger and more complex economic offences, mainly cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and conspiracy, and frauds involving many victims. Its own website describes cases involving an amount of not less than ₹3 crore, and lists financial and investment frauds, land and building rackets, multi-level marketing frauds, bank frauds and intellectual property offences. The threshold and the categories are set by internal orders of the Delhi Police and can change, so check the current position before filing. Cases below the threshold generally stay with the local police station.
Some categories may go to the EOW regardless of amount, for example where there are many depositors in one scheme or where the Commissioner of Police directs a transfer. Cyber frauds, such as UPI and online investment scams, generally go to the cyber police stations and the national helpline 1930 instead. Frauds against banks may also be taken up by the CBI where a public sector bank is involved; our post on classification of a loan account as fraud covers that route.
A complaint addressed to the EOW that falls below its threshold is usually sent to the district concerned. That is not a rejection. The district police then deal with it under the same law, and the complainant should follow it up there.
How to file a complaint with the EOW in Delhi
A complaint that is clear and properly documented is read seriously. A long, angry complaint with loose papers often sits in a file for months.
Check that the EOW is the right place
Look at the amount, the number of victims and the type of fraud. If it is below the threshold or is a cyber fraud, go to the local police station or the cyber police station first; the complaint can be transferred later if it grows.
Write a short, dated complaint
Address it to the senior officer heading the EOW. In four or five pages, set out who the accused are, what they represented, what you paid and when, what happened next, and the loss. Name only people who actually did something.
Attach an indexed set of documents
Agreements, receipts, bank statements, messages, brochures, company or RERA records, and any replies from the accused. Number each document, list them, and keep the originals for later seizure.
Submit it and get a receipt
Submit the complaint at the EOW office at Mandir Marg and get a diary number or receipted copy. Where many victims are involved, a joint complaint with a list of victims and amounts helps the EOW see the scale.
Prepare for the enquiry
You will be called to explain the complaint and produce originals. Prepare a one-page chronology and a table of payments, and bring a person who handled the transaction if it was not you.
Follow up in writing
If nothing happens for several weeks, write to the enquiry officer and the senior officer, referring to your diary number. Keep copies of every follow-up.
If the police neither register an FIR nor close the enquiry with reasons, you can apply to the magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS after first approaching the senior police officers. Our post on what to do when police refuse to register an FIR explains the steps and the affidavit the court will expect.
Why does the EOW hold an enquiry before registering an FIR?
Because many complaints that reach the EOW are commercial disputes, and the law allows the police to check before registering a case. Section 173(3) BNSS permits a preliminary enquiry, to be completed within 14 days, for offences punishable with three to seven years, which covers cheating under Section 318(4) BNS and criminal breach of trust under Section 316(2) BNS. The Supreme Court's FIR guidelines had also recognised preliminary enquiries in commercial offences before the BNSS. In practice, EOW enquiries in complex matters often take longer than 14 days, and complainants should keep a written record of delay.
During the enquiry, the officer reads the complaint, calls the complainant, examines documents and usually issues a notice to the other side to give its version. The point is to see whether the facts show a cognizable offence, such as dishonest intention at the start of the transaction or misappropriation of entrusted money, or only a breach of contract.
The enquiry ends in one of three ways: an FIR at PS EOW, a closure of the complaint as civil in nature, or a transfer to a district. A closure is not final. The complainant can still approach the magistrate, file a private complaint under Section 223 BNSS, or pursue civil remedies.
What should a complainant expect after the FIR?
After registration, the investigation has two aims: collecting proof of the offence and tracing the money. The investigating officer will seize documents, collect bank statements from banks under Section 94 BNSS, seek details of company accounts and property, and record statements. Where money or property can be traced to the offence, the police can seize or freeze it, and under Section 107 BNSS they can apply to the magistrate for attachment of property believed to be proceeds of crime.
Arrests are not automatic. Most cheating and breach of trust offences carry seven years or less, so the police are expected to issue a notice under Section 35 BNSS and record reasons if they arrest. In large frauds with many victims, missing money or risk of flight, arrests do happen, often after the accused has failed to cooperate or after anticipatory bail is refused.
Investigations in large frauds take time. A complainant should keep the investigating officer supplied with any new information, respond to calls, and avoid public statements that could be used against him later. If the investigation stalls for a long period, a written representation to the senior officers comes first; the Delhi High Court can be approached in a suitable case, but it does not run investigations day to day.
I have received a call or notice from the EOW: what should I do?
Find out exactly what the notice is. At the enquiry stage, it is usually a request to appear and give your version of a complaint, often with documents. After an FIR, it may be a notice under Section 35 BNSS to join investigation, or a notice under Section 94 BNSS to produce documents. Ask for the complaint number or FIR number and, if possible, a copy of the complaint. A phone call is not a notice; politely ask for it in writing.
Then read the complaint against your own documents before you go. The enquiry is the stage where a well-documented answer can stop an FIR. Prepare a short written reply that addresses each allegation with a document: the agreement, proof of performance, proof of payments made back, correspondence that shows a genuine dispute, and anything that shows the complainant's version is incomplete. Keep it factual. An angry reply that attacks the complainant without documents does not help.
Attend on the date given, or ask in writing for a short adjournment with a reason. Not appearing at all at the enquiry stage often leads the officer to proceed only on the complainant's version. After an FIR, non-compliance with a Section 35 notice can itself be a ground for arrest. Our post on the Section 35 BNSS police notice explains what compliance means and what the police may ask.
EOW stages: what happens and what each side should do
The process from complaint to court has distinct stages, and the right move at each one is different.
| Stage | What the EOW does | Complainant | Person named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaint received | Diary number, marked to an enquiry officer | File indexed documents, get a receipt | Usually unaware; may get a call |
| Preliminary enquiry | Calls both sides, examines documents | Explain clearly, produce originals | Give a documented written reply, attend |
| Decision | FIR at PS EOW, closure or transfer | If closed, consider court remedies | If FIR, assess arrest risk at once |
| Investigation | Notices, seizure, bank records, statements, freezing | Support with information, stay consistent | Comply with notices, consider anticipatory bail |
| Arrest (if any) | Production before magistrate, remand | Nothing to do | Bail application, oppose custody |
| Chargesheet | Report filed in the court with jurisdiction | Watch for cognizance and summons | Collect copies, consider discharge |
| Trial or settlement | Prosecution evidence | Give evidence, or settle if appropriate | Defence, compounding or quashing |
Will the EOW arrest me? Anticipatory bail in EOW cases
Arrest risk in an EOW case depends on four things: the size of the alleged loss, the number of complainants, whether money is said to be untraced, and how the person named has behaved since the complaint. A director of a builder company with hundreds of complainants and missing funds faces a higher risk than a single business partner in a dispute over accounts with a clear paper trail.
Where the risk is real, apply for anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS before the Sessions Court, and if refused, the Delhi High Court. Courts in EOW matters often grant interim protection on conditions, such as joining investigation, producing documents, not leaving India without permission and, sometimes, depositing part of the amount in dispute. Deposit conditions are controversial and are not meant to turn bail into recovery, but they are still imposed in some cases. Our bail practice page explains how anticipatory bail applications are prepared and argued.
In EOW matters that come to Advocate B.K. Singh's office, the factor that most often shapes the bail hearing is the person's conduct in the enquiry: whether he appeared, answered questions and produced the documents asked for. A clean record of cooperation is difficult for the prosecution to argue against.
A made-up example: the group housing complaint
Here is a made-up example. Forty buyers in a group housing project in Dwarka paid a developer between ₹40 lakh and ₹90 lakh each. Construction has stopped for three years. Together they file a complaint with the EOW, with a table of payments totalling about ₹25 crore, copies of their agreements and a report showing that the project account received far less than they paid.
The EOW calls the buyers' representatives and then the developer's directors. The directors produce documents showing work done and blame a stay order and a lender. The buyers produce bank records showing money moved from the project account to an unrelated company owned by a director's relative. That diversion, not the delay, is what turns the matter from a civil and RERA dispute into a likely case of criminal breach of trust and cheating. An FIR is registered.
The buyers still need civil and regulatory remedies, such as RERA complaints for refund with interest, described in our post on builder delay and refund under RERA. The directors, for their part, should move for anticipatory bail promptly, prepare an honest account of where the money went, and consider whether a structured settlement is realistic.
What to bring to the EOW
Bring originals to show and copies to leave. Keep a list of what you hand over and ask for it to be acknowledged.
Complainant
- Signed complaint with diary number
- Identity proof and authority letter if acting for a company
- Agreements, brochures, offer letters, allotment letters
- Bank statements showing each payment
- Messages, emails, call recordings with a list
- Table of payments, with dates and modes
- Public records: ROC, RERA, sub-registrar, court orders
Person named in the complaint
- Copy of the notice and the complaint
- Short written reply with an index of documents
- Agreements and correspondence with the complainant
- Proof of performance: deliveries, construction, services
- Proof of refunds or part payments made
- Company records showing your actual role
- Accounts showing where the money went
Can an EOW case be closed or settled?
Yes, at several points. At the enquiry stage, the EOW can close the complaint as civil in nature, and many complaints end there. After an FIR, the investigation can end in a closure report if the evidence does not support the charge; the complainant must then be given notice and can file a protest petition before the magistrate.
Settlement is common in EOW cases with a small number of complainants. Basic cheating can be compounded by the person cheated, and the aggravated form with the court's permission; for criminal breach of trust and for cases where compounding is not available, the Delhi High Court can quash the FIR under Section 528 BNSS on a genuine settlement in a private dispute. Our post on quashing an FIR on settlement sets out the conditions the court looks at.
Settlement is much harder in multi-victim cases. The court has to consider all the victims and the public interest, and a settlement with some complainants does not end the case for others. Deposit and investment scheme cases also attract special laws, such as the Delhi law protecting depositors in financial establishments and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act 2019, which are covered in our post on ponzi and chit fund fraud recovery.
Common mistakes in EOW matters
Both sides make avoidable mistakes in the first weeks. These are the ones we see most often.
- Naming everyone. Complainants who name every director, relative and employee invite quashing petitions and dilute the case against the people who actually acted.
- Giving originals without a list. Documents handed over without an acknowledgment are hard to trace later.
- Ignoring the enquiry. People named in a complaint who do not appear allow the file to be built on one version only.
- Overstating the loss. A complainant whose figures do not match his bank statements loses credibility with the enquiry officer and later in court.
- Contacting the other side aggressively. Threats, social media posts or visits to the complainant's home are used to oppose bail and can lead to new FIRs.
- Waiting for the police to recover money. Civil limitation keeps running while the criminal case is pending.
- Travelling abroad without thinking about an LOC. In large EOW cases, a Look Out Circular may be opened during investigation.
Look Out Circulars and travel in EOW cases
In large frauds, the EOW may ask for a Look Out Circular so that the person cannot leave India without the investigating agency being informed or the person being stopped. People usually discover an LOC at the airport. If you are named in a large EOW complaint and need to travel, plan for it: ask the court for permission to travel as a condition of anticipatory bail, or apply separately with details of the trip and an undertaking to return.
If an LOC has already been opened, the remedies are an application to the trial court or a writ petition under Article 226 before the Delhi High Court. Courts have held that the right to travel abroad is part of personal liberty under Article 21 and that an LOC needs cogent reasons. Our post on how to check whether a Look Out Circular is open against you explains the practical steps, and our page on LOC cancellation covers the court remedies.
What happens when the EOW files a chargesheet?
When the investigation is complete, the EOW files a final report under Section 193 BNSS in the criminal court that has jurisdiction over the offence, usually a magistrate's court in one of the Delhi district court complexes such as Patiala House, Saket, Tis Hazari, Karkardooma, Rohini or Dwarka. In large frauds, the chargesheet can run to thousands of pages, with bank statements, forensic audit reports and dozens of witness statements. Supplementary chargesheets are common, because tracing money often continues after the first report.
The court then decides whether to take cognizance and summon the accused. Accused persons who were not arrested during investigation usually appear on summons and apply for regular bail, which is commonly granted where they cooperated with the EOW. Copies of the chargesheet are supplied, and the accused can argue for discharge before charges are framed if the material does not disclose the offence alleged. Our post on what happens after a chargesheet is filed explains these stages in order.
For a complainant, the chargesheet stage is the time to check that every victim and every payment has been recorded, and that the documents you handed over are listed. Omissions are easier to correct before charges are framed than at trial. For the accused, it is the first time the full case is visible, and the defence should be built from it rather than from the complaint, which is often very different.
What to do this week
Whichever side you are on, these steps put your file in order before the EOW looks at it.
- Confirm whether the EOW, the local police station or a cyber police station is the right forum.
- Prepare a one-page chronology and a payment table backed by bank records.
- Index every document and keep originals safe, with a list of anything handed over.
- Get a diary number or a copy of the notice, with the complaint or FIR number.
- If you are named, prepare a documented written reply and attend on the date given.
- Assess arrest risk honestly and, if real, prepare an anticipatory bail application.
- Check civil limitation and file civil or RERA claims where recovery is the main aim.
- Avoid any contact with the other side that could be seen as pressure.
When the EOW is not the right forum
The EOW is a strong forum for genuine frauds: money obtained by deception, entrusted money diverted, forged documents, schemes that take money from many people. It is a poor forum for disputes over the quality of goods, delayed but continuing projects with no diversion, partnership disagreements over accounts or simple unpaid invoices. Those complaints usually end in closure after months of waiting, and the complainant would have done better with a suit, arbitration, a consumer complaint or RERA.
A point Advocate B.K. Singh often makes to complainants is that the EOW enquiry officer reads the complaint for one thing first: a fact showing dishonesty, rather than mere failure. If the complaint opens with that fact and proves it with a document, it gets attention. If it opens with the loss and the anger, it gets filed.
If you are filing a complaint with the EOW, or you have been called by it, the team of Advocate B.K. Singh at B.K. Singh & Associates can read the complaint and the documents and tell you what the next step should be. You can write to us through our online enquiry page.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the EOW office in Delhi?
The Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police works from the Mandir Marg police station complex in New Delhi. Its police station, PS EOW, has jurisdiction over the whole of Delhi. Check the Delhi Police website for current contact details before you go.
What is the minimum amount for an EOW complaint in Delhi?
The EOW's website describes cases involving ₹3 crore or more. The threshold and categories are set by internal Delhi Police orders and can change, so check the current position. Smaller cases usually go to the local police station.
Can I file an EOW complaint online?
Complaints to the Delhi Police can be made through its online services, but for an EOW matter a written complaint with indexed documents submitted at the EOW office usually works better. Get a diary number or receipt either way.
How long does the EOW take to register an FIR?
Section 173(3) BNSS allows a preliminary enquiry of up to 14 days for offences punishable with three to seven years. In complex matters, EOW enquiries often take longer. If there is unreasonable delay, write to senior officers and then consider the magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS.
What happens if I ignore an EOW notice?
At the enquiry stage, the officer may proceed on the complainant's version alone, which makes an FIR more likely. After an FIR, ignoring a Section 35 BNSS notice can be a ground for arrest. It is better to attend or ask in writing for a short adjournment.
Can I take a lawyer to the EOW?
You can consult a lawyer before and after questioning, and a lawyer can help prepare your written reply. Whether a lawyer is allowed to sit in during questioning is at the officer's discretion, though Section 38 BNSS gives an arrested person the right to meet an advocate during interrogation, but not throughout it.
Can the EOW freeze my bank account?
Yes. The police can seize or freeze money linked to an offence, and can apply to the magistrate under Section 107 BNSS for attachment of property believed to be proceeds of crime. A freeze can be challenged before the magistrate or the High Court if it is unconnected or disproportionate.
Does the EOW handle cyber fraud?
Generally no. Online and UPI frauds go to the cyber police stations, the national helpline 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in, where quick reporting helps freeze money. The EOW handles larger economic offences such as investment, bank and housing frauds.
Can an EOW complaint be closed as a civil dispute?
Yes. If the enquiry shows only a breach of contract or an accounts dispute, the EOW can close the complaint without registering an FIR. The complainant can still approach the magistrate or file a civil case.
Can I apply for anticipatory bail once the EOW calls me?
Yes. You can apply under Section 482 BNSS to the Sessions Court and then the Delhi High Court. Courts often grant protection on conditions such as joining investigation and not leaving India without permission.
Can my complaint be transferred to the EOW from a police station?
Yes. A complaint at a district police station that falls within the EOW's threshold or categories can be transferred to it, and senior officers can direct a transfer. Equally, a complaint below the threshold sent to the EOW is usually transferred to the district.
Which court hears EOW cases?
The EOW files its chargesheet in the criminal court with jurisdiction over the offence, usually a magistrate's court in one of the Delhi district court complexes. Bail, anticipatory bail and quashing petitions go to the Sessions Court and the Delhi High Court.
Written and reviewed at B.K. Singh & Associates
Advocate B.K. Singh
Founder of B.K. Singh & Associates. MCA, LL.B., LL.M., with more than twenty years of practice before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, district courts and tribunals across Delhi NCR. This article explains the general law as of 24 October 2026; it is not legal advice on your facts.