NT Reporter Panaji
The Economic Offences Cell (EOC) of the Goa police has arrested three accused — Subhash Dhuri (45), Digamber Bhatt (40) and Sarika Pilankar (40), all residents of Sawantwadi in Maharashtra — in connection with an alleged Rs 2.9 crore fraud in which investors were cheated on the promise of high returns.
Police said the fraud involved inducements to invest in land purchases, a pension scheme and cryptocurrency ventures. An FIR in the case was registered in June this year against Bio Estate Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and its directors. The arrested accused were agents of the firm, police said.
The complaint was filed by Venon Dias of Santo Estevam in Tiswadi. Police said the head office of Bio Estate Solutions Pvt. Ltd. was located in Mumbai, while its branch operated from Mapusa. According to police, the accused operated the Mapusa office without valid permission from the competent authority, hatched a criminal conspiracy, and induced the complainant and other investors to invest in the company.
Police said the accused promised high returns through four verticals — purchase of land at Torxem in Pernem under Bio Estate, a pension scheme under Bio Estate, Biokkoin under Bio Estate (cryptocurrency), and CoW Coin under Cinema on Web (cryptocurrency). However, the accused failed to repay the promised returns or maturity amounts, thereby cheating the complainant and other investors of Rs 2.9 crore. PI Ramesh Shirodkar is investigating the case.