Directors of a firm were booked for duping investors of Rs 13.48 crore after promising attractive returns on deposits, a Mumbai police official told news agency PTI on Monday, December 6. He identified the accused as Platinum Hern Private Limited director Sarvesh Ashok Surve, Victoria Covalenko, CEO Taufiq Riyaz alias John Carter, general manager Tania Cosatova and company store in charge Valentina Kumar, among others.
"The irregularity came to light on Monday when several investors realised they had been cheated by the firm, which operates 'Torres' brand. They gathered at Torres Vastu Centre building in Dadar West after getting information that several branches of the firm in Mumbai and neighbouring areas had shut," he said.
Also Read | Torres Jewellery Scam: Furious Investors Protest at Offices in Dadar, Mira Bhayandar and Navi Mumbai.
Amidst an increasing number of incidents where many fall prey to promises of high returns, even the Torres branch in Mira Bhayandar has come under scrutiny for duping investors of large sums of money by promising high returns. Torres' company office in Mira Bhayandar, located in the Ramdev Park area, was also involved in selling artificial diamonds. It collected lakhs of rupees from citizens by luring them with a promise of 10% returns. However, the company later defrauded investors and disappeared, leading to a shocking revelation.
Following this, thousands of investors have found themselves in financial distress and have staged aggressive protests outside the company's offices. Police forces deployed for security after stone pelting was also reported at one of the branches. A wave of anger is visible among the investors. Torres Company had attracted people by offering various investment schemes promising high returns. It was claimed that a specific percentage of the investment would be deposited into the account every week. As a result, many people invested large sums of money, only to later discover that they had been defrauded, with the company's owner absconding.