The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed a chargesheet against eight accused in the Torres investment fraud case. The chargesheet, submitted to the Sessions Court on Monday, spans 27,147 pages. The case involves 14,157 investors who have reportedly been defrauded of ₹142.58 crore.
The scam has affected thousands of investors from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayander. Nine accused, who fled abroad after duping investors of crores, are now facing a Blue Corner Notice issued by the police.
The EOW has named Platinum Hern Pvt. Ltd., Tania alias Tazgul Zastova, Valentina Ganesh Kumar, Sarvesh Surve, Alpesh Khara, Tausif Riyaz, Armen Atian, and Lallan Singh in the chargesheet filed before the Special MPID Court. The document details their involvement in the massive fraud.
So far, the EOW has seized assets worth ₹35 crore in connection with the Torres case. Authorities have also sought court permission to auction furniture, electrical equipment, and 7-8 luxury cars linked to the scam.
Additionally, the accused had purchased precious stones from a Jaipur-based company. The company has now agreed to take back the stones and return the money. The police have also sought court approval to resell ₹1.5 crore worth of these stones.
The process of appointing the District Collector as the competent authority for further legal proceedings has begun, with permission requested from the court.
The scam was allegedly orchestrated by a Ukrainian national, identified as the mastermind. Eight Ukrainian and one Turkish national involved in the case are currently absconding.
The police have issued a Blue Corner Notice against suspects Olena Stoyan, Victoria Kovalenko, Mustafa Karakoch, Oleksandr Boravyk, Oleksandr Zhapichenko, Oleksandra Brunkiwska, Oleksandra Treokhib, Artem Oliferchuk, and Iyurchenko.
Authorities suspect that the main conspirator has transferred ₹200 crore abroad as part of the fraud. Interestingly, before the scam was fully exposed, a few alert investors had already tipped off the police and other agencies via email, leading to further investigations.
With thousands of investors affected and a complex international financial trail, the investigation into the Torres scam is still ongoing. The police and financial crime agencies are working to track the missing funds and bring the accused to justice.