Bombay high court orders police protection for ‘whistleblower’ in multi-crore Torres jewellery fraud case | Mumbai News

The Bombay High Court directed Mumbai police to provide protection to chartered accountant Abhishek Gupta who reported a multi-crore jewellery fraud. Gupta claims he is under threat from the company directors.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Mumbai police to grant police protection to chartered accountant Abhishek Gupta, 31, who prepared its audit report last December, claiming to be the whistle-blower, days after police began probing an alleged multi-crore Torres Jewellery fraud case.
Gupta petitioned the high court for police protection, claiming there was a threat to his life from directors of the company and others. In its interim order on Wednesday, the HC also directed police to conduct its probe and ensure that no absconding accused flees the country.
The HC division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale said it would hear the matter again on January 22.
Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde appeared for the state and said the probe in the case would continue. On the last date, the HC gave Gupta’s lawyer the liberty to make EOW a party to the petition.
Gupta prepared the audit and financial report for 2023-24 for the company Torres on December 26, 2024, and before the HC claimed he was a “vulnerable witness and could be eliminated.”
The company is accused of allegedly defrauding investors of crores of rupees. The petitioner said that investors lodged an FIR on January 6, 2025, with the Shivaji Park police station in Mumbai.
Gupta also sought that the investigation be handed over to CID or that an SIT be formed to effectively probe the alleged fraud and ponzi scheme.
His petition claimed that on December 29, 2024, he approached the N M Joshi Marg police station but “was not heard’’ and his complaint “not accepted.’’ He also claimed he is being a “scapegoat’’ though as a “whistleblower’’ it was on his “complaint all the criminal process started.’’
His petition asked whether the additional commissioner of police (protection and security) was justified in not granting him protection.
Gupta also said when he learned of the alleged “massive fraud” in the company and several non-compliances and irregularities, he reported it to the company director, Sarvesh Surve, 32, under his professional obligations.
Gupta, in his petition, alleged that he was called to the company office at Lower Parel and that he was “physically intimidated,’’ his cell phone “confiscated,’’ and he was “offered Rs 5 crore’’ by three “Ukrainian nationals’’ not to disclose anything or face dire consequences.
He also said the director Surve too wrote to the Prime Minister and other statutory authorities on January 2 about the alleged fraud, as did others.