The foreigners behind Torres scam

Selfproclaimed whistleblower Tausif Reyaz a wanted accused in the Torres scam where thousands of investors were defrauded has shared details about the 10 alleged masterminds behind the scam among whom are foreign nationals from Ukraine Russia and TurkeyFollowing Reyazs revelations the police arrested two foreign nationals one of whom was identified as Valentina Kumari a Russian citizen with Overseas Citizenship of India OCI status She has been living in India for the past 17 years after marrying an IndianOlena Stoian and Oleksandra BrunkivskaSources within the Economic Offences Wing EOW have confirmed that several foreign nationals named in Reyazrsquos letter have fled the country and are suspected to be the primary architects of the fraud However Reyaz himself has not appeared before the agency so far and was last reportedly seen in Delhi He has claimed that his life is under threatIn his letter Reyaz provided details such as passport numbers and photographs of some of the accused ldquoWe have received certain information from the FRRO Foreigners Registration Office of the Mumbai police and are currently verifying the detailsrdquo an EOW officer statedViktoriia Kovalenko a Ukrainian national allegedly involved in the investment scamAccording to a letter sent by Reyaz to the authorities on January 4 he identified Olena Stoian and Oleksandra Brunkivska as the masterminds of the scam Reyaz alleged that the two were also involved in similar scams in Turkey and Ukraine He claimed that Brunkivska who operated under the alias ldquoAliardquo in India had remained in the country until the first week of January Officials suspect that both have since fled IndiaOther namesReyaz further named several others involved in the scam including Ukrainian nationals Oleksandra Tverdokhlib Oleksandr Borovyk Oleksandr Zapichenko Nika Anita and Viktoriia Kovalenko as well as Mustafa Karakoc a Turkish national and a Russian national named UgyinWanted posters uploaded on social media by the Torres jewellery chainReyaz also claimed that Anita was once detained at Mumbai International Airport for possessing illegal items However another accused Tazagul alias Tania Khatasova allegedly intervened to secure her release from police custody Khatasova has since been arrested by Shivaji Park police and handed over to the EOW Sources in the EOW have also said that they have found a criminal record of Khatasova which is related to cheatingldquoThis document contains a detailed comparison of photographs of foreign scammers operating in India with individuals involved in scams in Ukraine and Turkey The analysis is based on credible sources and references provided within the filerdquo Reyaz stated in his letterInvestors gathered outside the Torres Jewellery store in Dadar File PicsAshish RajeldquoBy examining these sources and matching similarities the conclusion drawn suggests a strong connection between the scammers behind operations like Torres in India and Ukrainebased scam groups These scammers appear to follow a consistent pattern adapting their fraudulent activities across different countriesrdquo he further claimed adding that he is willing to share more details with the agenciesUkrainian connectionThe letter also mentions that more than 40 individuals mostly from Ukraine have been involved in these operations in India While some stayed for a short period others are still actively working Reyaz identified a person named Helan who reportedly does not speak English but handles all bank transactions and has custody of the companyrsquos internet banking IDs and passwordsThe passport of Viktoriia Kovalenko a Ukrainian national allegedly involved in the racketReyaz has also named one Alex who allegedly coordinates the entire operation from outside India The EOW which is investigating the case stated that they have so far received complaints amounting to Rs 30 crore Statements from additional complainants are being recorded at a special cell set up at Shivaji Park police stationAccused Sarvesh SurvePolice suspect that if all affected investors come forward the scamrsquos total value could exceed Rs 1000 crore The EOW has so far arrested three accused in the case including one Sarvesh Surve who also claims to be a whistleblower in the case and claims he was framed by Ukrainian nationals who forged his signatures