Goregaon mystery couple racket: Scammer’s father, 70, arrested

Accused Shailesh Mehta with Sohana police in Punjab

Shailesh Mehta, the father of fraud-accused Ashesh, was arrested in Punjab by the Sohana police in SAS Nagar district, popularly known as Mohali, on December 2. The arrest was made after a 78-year-old businessman from Punjab, Viresh Singhal, accused Shailesh, Ashesh, and his wife Shivangi, of cheating him of Rs 1.20 crore by convincing him to invest in their company, ‘Bliss Consultant Trading Company'.

Singhal's FIR accused the trio of crimes under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to police sources, Singhal registered an FIR with the Sohana police in Punjab in November. He alleged that on Shailesh's assurances, he invested Rs 1.20 crore between 2021 and 2023 in ‘Bliss Consultant Trading Company'. Although Shailesh assured him of timely withdrawals, the businessman faced difficulties while attempting to retrieve his investment in June and July this year.

The absconding couple, Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta

According to Singhal, Shailesh approached him in December 2021. Both Shailesh and Shivangi were promoting investment opportunities in his company, ‘Bliss Consultant Trading Company'. Claiming to be its director, Shailesh promised significant returns and assured to cover losses of up to 30 per cent of the invested amount. Additionally, a 30 per cent portion of the profits would be charged by him as a commission, Shailesh allegedly told Singhal.

Convinced by their claims, Singhal and his family invested their hard-earned money into the company, which the Mehtas claimed was registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). They provided a withdrawal code which could be used through their app, DIFM, to get a refund within 48 hours. However, the app did not respond when Singhal tried to get his refund in June and July. He then realised that the company was not registered with SEBI and approached Sohana police.

Team visited Mumbai

"During the investigation, a team was dispatched to Shailesh's residence in Thakur Village, Kandivli East, but it did not meet success. It was later discovered that Shailesh and his wife were hiding in an old-age home in Ahmedabad. Shailesh made assurances to cooperate with the investigation but eventually stopped responding to calls. We arrested him from Ahmedabad on December 2, and he was remanded in police custody until December 6," said Head Constable Jagat Pall of Sohana police.

Pall added, "Further investigation will determine if other family members or individuals are involved in the case and appropriate legal action will be taken. This information has been documented and conveyed to the authorities." Shailesh's lawyer, Hemant Ingle, claiming that the 78-year-old's arrest was hasty, told mid-day, "The Sohana police have acted in haste and have arrested an innocent senior citizen who is not connected with the alleged crime. The complainant has misled the police to arrest a senior citizen to pressure him."

Couple still at large

Meanwhile, Ashesh and Shivangi remain at large. According to sources in Punjab police, the couple is suspected to have visited Shailesh and his wife in the old age home. The couple from Goregaon in Mumbai have been accused of fraud and a drug business. Police sources also said that after accusations against them started pouring in, Ashesh and Shivangi allegedly began transferring huge chunks of their earnings to relatives. If these suspicions are proven to be true, penal action would be taken against the relatives keeping the funds.