Bhavna Anand
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 39-year-old BHAVNA ANAND of Garfield, NJ, on charges of theft by deception and impersonation. The arrest is the result of a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck.
In May 2024, the Lodi Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit regarding an alleged theft scheme. A lengthy investigation was initiated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office that revealed BHAVNA ANAND assumed the identity of at least three acquaintances on multiple occasions between January 2017 and December 2024. During that time, ANAND stole approximately $787,556 by using their personal identifying information to gain access to personal bank accounts, investment accounts, and life insurance accounts, and then transferred funds from the victims’ accounts to accounts she controlled.
As the investigation continued, detectives determined that, beginning in January 2023, BHAVNA ANAND, using her position as a freelance travel agent, defrauded customers throughout the New Jersey area. Specifically, ANAND collected approximately $109,000 from 82 victims for various travel arrangements that were promised but were actually fictitious.
Additionally, the investigation revealed that on April 4, 2024, BHAVNA ANAND borrowed a vehicle belonging to an acquaintance, and she was pulled over by the Lodi Police Department for a traffic violation. During the course of that traffic stop, ANAND concealed her true identity and impersonated the owner of the vehicle.
As a result of the investigation, BHAVNA ANAND was arrested on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Saddle Brook, NJ and charged with two counts of second-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4a; two counts of second-degree impersonation, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-17(a)1; and two counts of third-degree impersonation, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-17a(1). ANAND was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Lodi Police Department and the Saddle Brook Police Department for their assistance.