Goregaon-based Financial influencer Ashesh Mehta and his wife Shivangi Mehta are allegedly accused of running a Rs 300 crore drug distribution network from their residence in Mumbai. The couple is also accused of running an illegal money management firm. The Madhya Pradesh police have issued a lookout circular after they mysteriously disappeared from the police radar.
It is reported that the couple fled the country on June 19 after transferring nearly Rs 174 crore into various bank accounts after they received summon to appear. The couple used to live in a high-rise apartment in Goregaon which is now locked. They allegedly ran Ponzi schemes and drug distribution with a network of clients through parcel services.
The police learned about the racket after they arrested Nissar Zubair Khan, a 39-year-old drug dealer of Mira Road (Thane), two weeks ago. The police apprehended Khan with Mephedrone worth Rs 17 lakh. In police custody, he spilt the couple’s name and accused them of running illegal operations involving drug trafficking, Ponzi schemes and scams related to digital currencies.
As per Khan’s statement to the police, the couple used to call him to collect parcels from their residence at Oberoi Esquire in Goregaon East to collect parcels. For every package, apart from the delivery address, he used to get a new mobile phone with a new SIM card. After successfully delivering to the given address, he was asked to throw the phone and SIM away.
The drug package, found from Nissar Zubair Khan, was given by the couple on June 6 from their Goregaon residence, and he was instructed to deliver the package to an address in Chanderi town of Madhya Pradesh.
On June 11, as per the statement given by Khan, Madhya Pradesh police and Arrey police in Mumbai visited the couple’s residence. Ashesh Mehta and Shivangi Mehta. They handed them summons to appear for questioning on June 13 before the MP police.
But the couple did not appear before the police on the given day. Afterwards, they got a call from the Mumbai police commissioner, who told them to cooperate in the investigation, but they still didn’t appear.
Thereafter a squad of eight people of MP police travelled to Mumbai on June 16 but found their residence locked. The contact number given by Ashesh Mehta was also found switched off. The Station House Officer of Khaniyadhana police station said, Dhanendra Singh Bhadoria, said, “Ashesh Mehta even gave us a cell phone number that was switched off. We kept trying the number, but there was no response”.
According to police, on June 15 and 16, the accounts of the accused couple showed withdrawals of Rs 70 lakh and Rs 26 lakh. Their initial bank balance of Rs 300 crore came down to Rs 126 crore in the last couple of days, which showed that they had transferred Rs 174 crore to multiple bank accounts.
These additional accounts will also be probed as part of the investigation. Bhadoria said, “We will now question the holders of these accounts. A lookout notice has been issued against the couple”. Their lawyer alleges that the couple has been framed in this fake case and needs time to present evidence to prove their innocence.
Ashesh Mehta and his wife Shivangi Mehta are also accused of running an illegal money-management firm Bliss Consultants, We Work Oberoi Commerz II, International Business Park, Oberoi Garden City, Goregaon (East), Maharashtra. Many clients of the Bliss Consultants report that their contact number is not reachable and found switched off.
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