09 October,2024 08:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta, the directors of Bliss Consultants
The investigating officer in the Bliss Consultants case, involving Goregaon couple Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta, has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Maharashtra police for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2,00,000 to record a statement as a victim in the Mehta couple's case.
Police Inspector Mahendra Vasudev Savardekar, 44, was arrested under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. According to the ACB, the arrest followed a complaint from a Tamil Nadu resident who had invested Rs 49.44 lakh in Bliss Consultants. A case has been registered against the consultancy under IPC Sections 420, 409, and 34, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act. Savardekar was the investigating officer in this case.
The complainant approached the ACB, alleging that the officer demanded 10 per cent of the investment - Rs 4,90,000 - as a bribe to record the complainant's statement as a witness and include relevant documents in the investigation. "The complainant contacted the ACB because he did not want to pay the bribe, leading to a trap operation in which the officer was arrested red-handed," an ACB officer stated. Savardekar had agreed to accept Rs 2,00,000 as the first instalment. On October 9, the ACB conducted a trap operation, catching the officer red-handed while accepting the bribe.
The Mehta couple was arrested by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) in December 2023 after 166 investors approached the police, alleging they had been defrauded by the couple. The total amount claimed by the complainants is approximately R86 crore, and officials have identified around 4,000 investors involved with Bliss Consultants, owned by the couple.
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The Mehtas claim they are being framed, stating that a fake arbitration case of Rs 200 crore was filed against them. They also reported being arrested in a fabricated drug case by Madhya Pradesh police, which they allege caused the downfall of Bliss Consultants and panic among their investors.
"Citizens are encouraged to report any instances of bribery or corruption involving public servants to the Anti-Corruption Bureau," the ACB said in a statement.
