Mumbai: In a major development in the ₹122 crore embezzlement case at New India Cooperative Bank, sources have revealed that the bank’s General Manager and Head of Accounts, Hitesh Mehta, has confessed to the fraud before Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials.

According to sources, Mehta admitted to withdrawing money from the bank since the COVID-19 period and distributing it among his close associates and friends.

Following this confession, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) took Mehta into custody for further investigation.

During an audit, the RBI discovered discrepancies in the bank’s cash reserves—₹112 crore missing from the Prabhadevi branch vault and ₹10 crore from the Goregaon branch vault. The investigation is ongoing, and further revelations are expected.

Mumbai: In the case of two people appointed as managers in a very old trust for helping the poor in the city, forging the signature of the NRI trustee and making themselves trustees, the NRI trustee has filed a written complaint against both of them in the Pydhuni Police Station and demanded action against both of them under the forgery charge.

The Yusuf Ibrahim Garde Charity Trust, operating in Mumbai, was formed in 1929 by the grandfather of 78-year-old NRI trustee Yusuf Garde. Yusuf Garde, the only survivor of the trust, said that this trust has 3 properties in Mumbai, which he had waqfed to help the poor and later his father became the trustee of this trust and later Yusuf was made the trustee.

He told that due to his stay abroad, some trustees of the trust took over the property for their own benefit, after receiving the complaint of which he came to Mumbai and lodged a complaint against the trustees and during that time he met Hanif Nakhande and he introduced him to Imtiaz Patni, after which Garde appointed him as the manager in the trust and asked him to prepare the documents for the change report in the State Wakf Board and submit them.

Yusuf Garde alleged that both of them later became trustees instead of managers in the trust by forging my signature, regarding which Garde has contacted the Pydhuni police and demanded action against these two under forgery.

Mumbai: In a shocking development in the multi-crore Torres scam, the Bhoiwada Police have registered a case against accused Armen Ataine (48) for illegally obtaining a fake birth certificate from the BMC’s F-South Ward. Along with Armen, two unidentified individuals who assisted him in acquiring the fraudulent document have also been booked under sections 120B, 34, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 474 of the Indian Penal Code.

During the investigation, the Bhoiwada Police discovered that Armen’s father, Garun Ataine, had lived in Lalbaug’s Jam Building between 1975 and 1978. Armen allegedly used this information to fraudulently secure an Indian birth certificate.

The Torres scam came to light in January, and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is currently handling the case. So far, six accused have been arrested, including Armen, who was apprehended a few days ago from Madh Road in Malad. Currently in judicial custody, Armen is expected to be handed over to the Bhoiwada Police for further investigation into the forged birth certificate case.

According to EOW findings, Armen obtained a fake birth certificate from the BMC’s F-South Ward to acquire an Indian passport. Since this ward falls under the jurisdiction of the Bhoiwada Police Station, the EOW requested them to file a case. Following an inquiry, the Bhoiwada Police registered an FIR against Armen and two others late last night.

Further investigations revealed that Armen used an address from the fake birth certificate to claim Indian nationality. The Bhoiwada Police visited Jam Building No. 2, Room No. 22 in Lalbaug, where they spoke to society chairman Mahesh Hendra and other members. They confirmed that Garun Ataine and his family lived there between 1975 and 1978 before moving out.

Armen, who has acted in minor roles in Bollywood films, holds a Ukrainian passport. However, he allegedly sought an Indian passport using the fraudulent birth certificate, which stated that he was born in 1976 in Mumbai. Investigations are ongoing.