Mumbai: Man claims he gave Rs 200-crore in cash to the Goregaon couple

The Mehta couple. File pic

In a new twist to the Denron Rea IT Trade Pvt Ltd and Bliss Consultants case, involving an alleged Rs 200 crore fake arbitration claim, Ajay Harinath Singh, chairman and managing director of the Darwin Platform Group of Companies, has recorded his statement. According to sources in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Singh claims he paid Rs 200 crore in cash to Bliss Consultants, owned by a Goregaon couple, and has submitted original receipts to the Bombay High Court in a sealed envelope.

Officials plan to request the high court to release the receipts for further investigation. "We have recorded his statement and are further verifying the details of the cash receipt. The huge amount of cash transaction is also under question, but our first priority is to find if he had really paid Rs 200 crore to Bliss Consultants. We will request the court to secure the original receipts to verify his claims," said an EOW officer involved in the probe.

"So far, he is cooperating with the investigation. We have recorded his statement twice to get clarity about his business and daily cash flow. There are certain questions still unanswered, and he will be questioned further after verifying the cash receipt," the officer added.

The EOW has filed a case against the directors of Denron Rea IT Trade Pvt Ltd for allegedly fabricating arbitration documents to demand R200 crore from Bliss Consultants. The case, registered under multiple sections of the IPC, including cheating and criminal conspiracy, indicates that Denron may face legal action for using fraudulent means.

mid-day has extensively covered the story of Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta, founders and directors of Bliss Consultants, detailing their initial implication in an NDPS case by the Madhya Pradesh police and subsequent exoneration. During this period, a fabricated arbitration was initiated. The couple, in an attempt to avoid arrest, absconded while seeking legal counsel, causing distress among Bliss Consultants' 4,000 investors. The EOW investigation revealed that the fake arbitration occurred in Pune's Khed court on June 10, 2023, just a day after the NDPS case was registered against the couple on June 9, 2023.

Officials revealed that after obtaining an execution order for arbitration from the Pune court, Denron approached Kotak Mahindra Bank to transfer R160 crore from Bliss Consultant's accounts to Denron. However, as bank officials attempted to contact the couple, who were absconding, the bank froze the account and sought court intervention. Bliss Consultants also filed a case in court, but Denron's directors failed to appear despite multiple summonses from the Bombay High Court. The next hearing is scheduled for June 20, 2024, in the Bombay High Court.

The arbitration case against the couple appears to be unfounded, as the director of Denron himself claims he was unaware of his directorship in the company. Denron Director Hariprasad Paswan told mid-day, "I was not aware of any cash transactions of Rs 200 crore by this unknown company at any time with a company called M/s Bliss Consultants. As such, no such transaction ever occurred within my knowledge. I have neither initiated nor entered into any arbitration proceedings, nor have I signed any documents related to arbitration proceedings against anyone or any company to the best of my knowledge as the director of Denron IT Trade Pvt Ltd."

The EOW arrested the couple last year. While Shivangi was granted bail by the Mumbai Sessions Court on May 10 after the charge sheet was filed, she has not yet been released from jail as their other bail application order is pending in Gujarat. Ashesh's bail hearing, which was scheduled for Monday, has been adjourned until June 17. The couple has received significant relief in the FIR registered against them in Punjab. Punjab police had arrested Ashesh's father, who, after spending a couple of months in jail, was granted bail and released. During this period, the couple was absconding. Now, the Punjab court has granted bail to Ashesh, his father and Shivangi. However, in the FIR registered in Gujarat against the couple, the lower and sessions courts of Gujarat have rejected their bail applications. They have now moved the Gujarat High Court, seeking bail.