Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the transfer of all FIRs related to the Rs 1,000 crore Torres scam to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police. Four FIRs have been registered across Mumbai and MMR, alleging that the jewellery chain defrauded over 1.25 lakh investors.

A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Gokhale instructed EOW Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar, who attended the hearing virtually, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the probe. The SIT will include officers from police stations where the FIRs were originally lodged.

Apart from EOW Mumbai, FIRs were registered by the Thane, Navghar, Mira Bhayandar, and Navi Mumbai police. The Navi Mumbai FIR was earlier transferred to its local EOW branch.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Mumbai-based chartered accountant Abhishek Gupta, 31, who claims to have exposed the scam. Gupta sought police protection, citing threats to his life. The court directed Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar to provide protection to Gupta until the next hearing, scheduled after eight weeks.

During the hearing, the court criticized the police for their delayed action despite being alerted to irregularities in June 2024. The bench observed, “The police need to be alive to what is happening and act promptly to ensure the common man does not lose their hard-earned money.”

The scam involved cheating investors through a combination of Ponzi and multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes. The EOW has so far arrested three individuals, including two foreign nationals. Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar informed the court that of the 12 accused, eight — seven Ukrainians and one Indian — fled the country before December 30, 2024. He assured the court that their locations are now known and action will be taken.

Venegaonkar also revealed that the Navi Mumbai EOW had been secretly investigating the case since October 2024, after realizing the scale of the fraud. “They quietly collected information and summoned individuals linked to Torres’ showrooms. The hue and cry started after the payments stopped in the last week of December. That’s when the Ukranians fled the country,” he said.

The court, however, emphasised the lack of urgency shown by the police. “Somewhere there has been dereliction of duty. Nobody has acted with alacrity,” the bench remarked. It also urged the police to develop mechanisms to prevent similar scams in the future, stating, “Now you know their modus operandi. Police need to be alive to what is happening and take prompt action so that people do not lose their money. Or there can be some mechanism in the future,” it added.

Responding to a court query, Nishandar requested eight weeks to show progress in the case.

Gupta, who audited the accounts of Platinum Hern Pvt Ltd, Torres’ parent company, claimed to be a vulnerable witness at risk of being targeted by the scam’s perpetrators. He alleged that the company’s directors—Sarvesh Surve and Taufiq Riaz (alias John Carter)—and an employee, Laxmi Yadav, had warned the police about the scam as early as June 2024. However, the authorities only took cognizance on January 2, 2025.

Mumbai, Jan 23: Maharashtra Minister of Ports and Fisheries and BJP leader Nitesh Rane has raised serious doubts over the attack on Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, asking if he was really stabbed with a knife or was it just an act. Rane also slammed Khan and used the word ‘garbage’ for the actor.

“Look, Bangladeshis have entered Saif Ali Khan’s house in Mumbai. Earlier these people used to stand at the intersections of the roads, now they have started entering the houses, and maybe they have come to take him away. It is good garbage should be taken away. When he came out of the hospital, I also saw and I doubted whether he was really stabbed or not. The way he came out walking it was as if he was acting and dancing, it all looks suspicious,” he said at a rally in Pune on Wednesday evening.

“But there is one thing, whenever any Khan, like Shah Rukh Khan or Saif Ali Khan, is hurt, people immediately start speaking and when a Hindu actor is tortured, then no one comes forward to say anything,” he claimed. “What happened to that Sushant Singh?” the Minister asked.

He further said, “Jitendra Awhad and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP) did not come forward to say anything, they are only worried about Saif Ali Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son and Nawab Malik. Have you ever seen them worry about any Hindu artist? You (media) people should pay attention to all these things.”

Rane’s statement comes two days after Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam expressed surprise over the fitness of Saif Ali Khan after he walked out of the hospital without a walker or a wheelchair.

Referring to the actor’s fitness despite the attack, Nirupam said, “The doctors said that the knife had penetrated 2.5 inches inside Saif Ali Khan’s back. Probably it was trapped inside. The operation continued for six hours continuously. All this happened on 16th January. Today is 21st January. So fit as soon as you got out of the hospital? In just 5 days? Wonderful !”

Khan underwent a five-hour surgery at nearby Lilavati Hospital last week and was shifted to the ICU later in the day. A piece of the knife was taken out of the actor’s body. According to the doctor, the actor had suffered six injuries in the attack, two of which were deep cuts. He had escaped severe injuries.

Mumbai: Gangster DK Rao and 6 others accused of demanding ₹2.5 crore extortion from hotel owner, all arrested.

The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch received a complaint from a hotel owner, in which he made serious allegations. According to the complaint, notorious gangster DK Rao and his six associates conspired and tried to take over the hotel. Apart from this, they demanded ₹2.5 crore extortion from the hotel owner and threatened to kill him if their demand was not met.

Taking this matter seriously, the Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch took immediate action. Based on the information and evidence provided by the hotel owner, an FIR was registered against the accused under the relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code.

After interrogation and investigation, the police have arrested gangster DK Rao and his six other associates. All these accused are now in police custody. According to police officials, other aspects related to this conspiracy are being thoroughly investigated from the accused.

DCP Datta Nalawade said that the case is part of the ongoing police action against organised crime and extortion in the city. He said that the police will complete all evidence and legal procedures to ensure strict punishment to the culprits in such cases.

At present, the case is being investigated in depth and the police are trying to ensure that the hotel owner and other victims get justice.