Goregaon couple case: Complainant firm has driver and retirees as its directors

Hariprasad Paswan was working with Air India until 2018. Pic/Hanif Patel (right) Ashesh, wife Shivangi Mehta. File pic

The multi-crore company that has filed an arbitration case of Rs 250 crore against Bliss Consultancy - owned by Goregaon-based couple Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta - has auto-rickshaw drivers and retired persons on their board of directors. When mid-day approached one of the directors on whose behalf the company brought arbitration orders against the Mehtas' company, he claimed to have no knowledge of the case and also alleged that his documents were being misused.

Mid-Day reporters managed to locate and speak with the directors of Denron. Hariprasad Paswan, one of the directors, vehemently denied any involvement in the arbitration process or the alleged transfer of funds amounting to Rs 200 crore to any company. He claimed that their documents had been misappropriated and utilised by someone else without their consent. Speaking with mid-day, Paswan recounted his post-retirement endeavours. Currently living in Nalasopara in a rented flat with his son and grandson, he served as an engineer in a managerial post at Air India until 2018 and sought new opportunities after retirement.

Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta. File pic; Hariprasad Paswan with his Dlehman Rea ID card. Pic/Hanif Patel

Paswan said he often visited Goregaon East, where he had acquaintances and close relatives. He approached Ajay Pasi, an acquaintance in Goregaon, for assistance in finding employment. Pasi asked for Paswan's degree certificates and identity documents, including his PAN card and Aadhar card. Soon after, Paswan was taken to an office in Saki Vihar (Andheri East) where he was introduced to Ajay Singh who assured him of work opportunities. Subsequently, Paswan was given an ID from Dlehman Rea IT-Trade Pvt Ltd, showing him as a director of administration.

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Dlehman Rea IT previously operated as Shushma Impex India Pvt Ltd but was rebranded in 2018. In 2019, the name was changed again to Denron Rea IT-Trade Pvt Ltd. Paswan and Ramesh Kumar Yadav have since been listed as directors of Dlehman and Denron. Paswan received a monthly salary of R45,000 until the COVID pandemic. He admitted to signing documents presented by the company on a few occasions, without delving into the nature of the business or its proprietors. He claims he is only aware of Dlehman and was not aware that he was also made a director of Denron.

Last year, Paswan found himself embroiled in an inquiry conducted by the Delhi Police regarding fraudulent activities involving Dlehman and Vestige, amounting to R150 crore. Paswan cooperated with the authorities, disclosing the circumstances under which he had provided his documents to Ajay Pasi and subsequently secured employment with Dlehman. He provided the police with Pasi's contact information, facilitating further investigation. Since then, there have been no further police interrogations.

When the mid-day reporter informed Paswan about the arbitration case initiated by Denron Rea, where he and anone Ramesh Kumar Yadav were listed as directors, he had no clue about it. He vehemently denied any knowledge of Ashesh Mehta or Bliss Consultants, asserting that he had never been involved in such financial transactions and had never encountered such a substantial amount of money in his life. "I don't know the companies formed using my documents, their operations, or their office locations. It's become clear to me now that Ajay Singh maliciously exploited my documents to establish these companies," he said.

The reporter informed Paswan that Bliss Consultants had filed a fraud case against Denron Rea, its two directors including Paswan and Yadav, and an individual named Sabir Rafique Khan at Andheri police station last month. He was also told that the case is being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Mumbai. Paswan said he had not been contacted by the Mumbai police and had no knowledge of any FIR, summons or inquiries directed towards him.

Regarding the other director (Yadav), Paswan acknowledged knowing him as a resident of Dindoshi who works as an auto-rickshaw driver. However, he claimed to have no knowledge of Sabir Khan. mid-day reporters attempted to contact Yadav, a resident of the Rambali Yadav Chawl in Dindoshi (Goregaon East) but discovered that he no longer lived there. Relatives at the house confirmed that he drove an auto-rickshaw but claimed that they were unaware of his current whereabouts saying he was most likely living in Nalasopara. They provided Yadav's cell phone number but attempts to reach him remained unsuccessful as his phone was switched off. mid-day reporters also sent him a text message but no response was received.

Local sources disclosed that around a year ago, the Delhi Police had visited Yadav as part of their investigation. Additionally, the EOW Mumbai visited him recently in connection with the Bliss Consultants case and summoned him for questioning. Meanwhile, Paswan's son Omkarnath told mid-day that he was unaware of his father's association with the company. "I discovered that my father had been appointed as a director of Dlehman Rea IT after the Delhi Police visited my home last year," he said, adding that his father told him about documents being handed over to Pasi, who most likely submitted them to the company.

"I didn't know him but my father recognised him and subsequently, Pasi was also summoned for questioning while my father's bank account was scrutinised," he added. According to Omkarnath, they are unaware of developments that took place after the Delhi police contacted them. Furthermore, they have received no summons after the EOW took up the Denron Rea investigation. "Even if any summons have been issued, my father has not been informed," he said.

"My father's documents have been misused to create fake companies and perpetrate fraud. I am taking steps to file a complaint with the relevant authorities. It's imperative to understand that he has absolutely no involvement in any fraudulent activities. Through this message conveyed via mid-day, I aim to raise awareness among the public regarding the misuse of my father's identity and his documents. He was deceived into believing that he was being offered legitimate employment, only to be left idle at home after receiving a company card under pretences," Omkarnath said.

In its lawsuit, Denron alleged that they had given Rs 200 crore in cash to Bliss Consultants and obtained an order from an arbitrator instructing the Mehta company's bank to transfer Rs 160 crore to their (Denron's) accounts. According to the company's statement, they gave the cash with the expectation of receiving Rs 250 crore in return for their investment. However, the bank grew suspicious, initiated legal proceedings and filed suit against the alleged lenders in the HC, resulting in a temporary halt of the transfer. The case is currently under consideration in the Bombay High Court.