Mumbai Police EOW arrest Goregaon couple from Gujarat; remanded to custody till Jan 4

Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta

Less than a month after the Madhya Pradesh police gave a clean chit to Goregaon couple Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta, the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing on Friday arrested them in Gujarat. They were brought to Mumbai and produced in court on Saturday, where they were remanded in police custody till January 4.

The proprietors of Bliss Consultants, a financial consultancy firm, were on the run since June. Confirming their arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police (EOW) Nishith Mishra said, "A total of 11 accounts with a collective balance of Rs 148 crore have been frozen so far, and five properties, worth Rs 16 crore have been seized, apart from shares worth Rs 6 crore."

The scores of victims allegedly duped by the couple include former Member of Legislative Assembly Krishna Hegde, who also registered a complaint against them with the Amboli police. The ex-legislator and his friends were collectively duped to the tune of Rs 55 lakh. "I have spoken to the EOW chief today and he said he will start the process of releasing the frozen bank accounts of the accused, so that the victim can get their money back," he added.

Apart from the Indian Penal Code, the EOW has also invoked the Maharashtra Protection of Interests of Depositors (MPID) Act in the case. The Act empowers the investigating agency to liquidate the assets of the accused and use the proceeds to reimburse the victims of the scams. The Khaniyadhana police in Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, had arrested Nisaar Zubair Khan, a Mira Road resident, on June 9, seizing of 142 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 17 lakh from his possession.

The MP police had earlier contended that Khan's responsibilities included receiving and delivering drug parcels across the country, with the couple providing him with a new mobile phone equipped with a fresh SIM card for each assignment. Their names, however, were not included in the chargesheet filed by the MP Police on December 3.