Mumbai, March 23: Indian agencies have traced Olena Stoian, a Ukrainian national and a prime accused in the Torres jewellery fraud case, to the Republic of Moldova. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday approached the special PMLA court for the necessary attestation of documents to prepare an extradition dossier for Stoian.

ED probe into Rs 177.11 crore fraud

The ED is probing money laundering to the tune of Rs 177.11 crore, where thousands of investors were allegedly cheated. The agency claimed Stoian, along with Oleksandr Zapichenko, alias Alex, and Viktoria Kovalenko, director of Platinum Hern Pvt Ltd (PHPL), were the key architects of the laundering operations.

In November last year, the ED obtained non-bailable warrants against Stoian, Alex, Kovalenko, and Sagar Mehta, a Mumbai resident alleged to have fled the country.

Court proceedings and investigation details

The special court issued proceedings against these four accused and eight others following a prosecution complaint in early 2025. Investigations revealed that PHPL-Torres Jewelry lured investors into a fraudulent scheme promising exaggerated weekly returns of 2% to 9% on gold and diamond jewellery. The company enticed customers with investment bonuses of 20% for new referrals, creating a chain-like system.

Fraudulent practices uncovered

According to the ED, showrooms conducted seminars and lucky draws for luxury cars to create an impression of legitimacy. In reality, the company marketed cheap synthetic moissanite stones as high-value diamonds. The agency stated that the proceeds of crime currently stand at Rs 177.11 crore.

Panaji, March 23: The South Goa Police arrested 20-year-old Soham Sushant Naik in the wee hours of Monday following an intense public outcry over an alleged sex scandal involving 25 to 30 minor girls. Naik, a resident of Madegal-Cacora and the son of a BJP Curchorem Municipal councillor, was taken into custody after a mob of concerned citizens and local leaders picketed the police station.

The investigation suggests a disturbing pattern of abuse spanning the last three years. According to preliminary reports, the BJP corporator’s son allegedly engaged in sexual relations with numerous minors, filming the encounters and subsequently using the footage to threaten the victims into silence.

The scandal came to light last week after Soham Sushant Naik allegedly boasted about his actions during a social gathering, showing explicit videos of the victims to his associates. As rumours of the sexual abuse recordings spread through South Goa, local tension reached a boiling point.

However, before this, the case was being discussed in South Goa for the last few days. Local citizens gathered at the Kudchade police station on Sunday night seeking action as the case was linked to a local BJP corporator. Finally, the police took the corporator’s son Soham Naik into custody.

The action came after the accused showed some videos to his friends at a drinking party last week. This led to the revelation of the years of alleged sexual abuse of minors by the BJP leader’s son.

On Sunday, Curchorem residents had marched to the police station demanding a fair probe into the alleged sex-racket videos involving minors.

The protestors had warned of a bandh if police failed to act immediately and arrest the accused within 48 hours. The residents had also demanded that the police register a suo motu FIR in the case rather than wait for victims to come forward.

State Congress president Amit Patkar demanded that the government step in, take suo motu cognisance, and order a prompt, impartial, and time-bound enquiry into the horrific case.

The South Goa Police are currently investigating the digital evidence and determining the full scale of the exploitation of the minor girls by Soham Sushant Naik.

Soham Sushant Naik remains in custody as forensic teams work to recover the alleged videos used for blackmailing the minor girls.

Mumbai: A 47-year-old homemaker from Vile Parle East was cheated of ₹1.12 lakh after fraudsters tricked her into believing she had won a car in a fake lottery linked to the television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati.

The woman was targeted through a fake social media page that imitated the Kaun Banega Crorepati brand. The page invited users to answer quiz questions, creating the impression of a legitimate contest. After interacting with the page for a few days, the woman received a call from a man who introduced himself as a representative of the show. He told her she had won a car worth ₹8.5 lakh.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the woman transferred ₹1.12 lakh in multiple instalments towards taxes and processing charges. She realised she had been cheated on – ly after the caller became unreachable. Based on her complaint, the Vile Parle police registered a case.