Mumbai EOW traces Torres jewellery Ponzi scam accused to Bulgaria, uncovers new fraudulent ventures
Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has made a major breakthrough in the multi-crore Torres Jewellery Ponzi scam investigation. Officials have traced the fugitive accused to Bulgaria, where they have set up new fraudulent ventures under different names, including Moissanite Bulgaria and Moissanite Varna.
The main accused, Artem Oliferchuk, along with Olena Stoyan, Oleksandra Borovyk, Oleksandra Zhapichenko, Oleksandr Tredokhib, and Iurchenko Igor, have reportedly opened showrooms in Bulgaria, using the same fraudulent investment schemes as in India. The accused had initially fled to Poland before establishing new operations in Bulgaria.
Authorities have obtained details of websites linked to these fraudulent activities and have notified the Home Ministry. Another arrested accused, Tausif, had also traveled to Sri Lanka to explore locations for similar ventures, suggesting that the scam network is expanding beyond India and Europe.
Investigations reveal that the accused are offering unrealistic cashback schemes, promising 4% returns per week (208% annually) on gift voucher purchases and 2% per week (104% annually) on jewellery purchases, designed to lure investors.
The Torres scam has impacted over 12,783 victims in India, with losses exceeding ₹130 crore. With operations now expanding internationally, authorities are intensifying efforts to track down the fugitives and prevent further fraud.
A Blue Corner Notice has been issued against the key accused, including Olena Stoyan, Viktoria Kovalenko, Mustafa Karakoch, Oleksandr Borovyk, Oleksandr Zhapichenko, Oleksandr Brunkiwska, Oleksandr Tredokhib, and Liyurchenko. Officials are gathering concrete evidence and plan to approach the Union Home Ministry for further action.
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7 held for running fake call centre in South Kolkata
Kolkata (PTI): Seven people were arrested from the Parnashree area in the southern part of the city for allegedly running a fake call centre, a police officer said on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house on Netaji Subhas Road on Friday night and found the fake call centre operating from the ground floor, he said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had set up a bogus company using forged documents and posed as employees of an antivirus firm to call citizens in the US, the officer said.
"The callers would gain the trust of victims and then use remote access to take control of their phones or other digital devices. The accused allegedly siphoned off large sums of money, running into millions of dollars, from victims' accounts," he said.
Five laptops, two WiFi routers, six mobile phones and four headsets were seized from the accused, he said, adding that the seven are being questioned to ascertain the full extent of the racket and to identify others involved.
