Mumbai: Posing as team members from an advertisement company, officials of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recently contacted a 48-year-old Ukrainian national, Artmen Ataian, and offered him a role in an ad film. Excited, Ataian shared his ID from the artistes’ association and other documents. A meeting was also finalised. However, before the meeting could take place, the police landed at his Versova residence on Tuesday and arrested him in connection with the multi-crore Torres Jewellery investment fraud case. He is the third foreigner to be arrested in the case.
Police said he acted as the bridge between foreign nationals and Indians accused in the case.
Ataian was asleep when the police reached his residence early on Tuesday. He was brought to the EOW HQ near Crawford Market. He has been remanded him in police custody until Feb 3.
The accused persons, mainly Ukrainian nationals, floated various investment schemes promising weekly returns of between 5-11%. Thousands of middle-class investors invested money. The company suddenly stopped giving returns, leading to an FIR being filed at the Shivaji Park police station. So far, more than 9,000 investors have complained to the police, and the total amount of the fraud has crossed the Rs 105-crore mark.
Ataian is the sixth person to be arrested in this case. He claimed to have been living in India for the last 10 years. A senior EOW officer said, “He was the one who organised meetings between the foreign nationals and the Indian accused. He was part of their first meeting at a cafe in Saki Naka and attended other meetings too. He was also present when the first Torres store was opened in Dadar.” Ataian also worked in a couple of movies and was staying with two Russian roommates, said the police.
“He is not cooperating in the probe,” the police said. Ataian also has a Mumbai birth certificate, which the police suspect is fake, and they have contacted the BMC for verification.
The police, through CBI Interpol, last week issued blue corner notices against a Turkish and eight Ukrainian nationals who are all suspected to be the key conspirators in the fraud. “The last accused from this lot fled the country on Dec 29,” said an officer.
