Ukrainian actor held in Torres case possessed fake birth certificate, claimed to be Indian: police
Mumbai:Ukrainian actor Armen Ataine, arrested in the Torres investment scam, possessed a fake birth certificate and made a false claim of being an Indian national, Mumbai Police has told a court here.
The actor, arrested last week, was remanded in 14-day judicial custody by a court here on Monday after his police custody ended. The police did not seek an extension of his custody but said they would apply for fresh remand if the need arose.
During the investigation, Ataine claimed that he was an Indian national and produced a birth certificate, Aadhaar card, driving license and other documents, the remand note submitted by the police said.
"Upon inspection of the documents, suspicion arose regarding the birth certificate, as it was mentioned that it was issued by the F Ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Therefore, the said birth certificate was verified with the F Ward, and it was found to be forged," it said.
Platinum Hern Pvt Ltd, owner of Torres jewellery brand, is accused of cheating investors of crores of rupees through a combination of Ponzi and multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes.
Six persons have been arrested in the case until now.
More than 10,800 investors have so far approached the Mumbai police with complaints of being cheated, and the known fraud amount is more than Rs 57 crore, as per officials.
The firm duped them by promising attractive returns on investment, the complainants alleged.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
