QNet accused Ferreira to be taken back to Mumbai today

HYDERABAD: After a day of high drama, a local court on Wednesday directed the Central Crime Station (CCS) police to transfer former world billiards champion and Padma Bhushan awardee Michael Ferreira and three other accused in the multi-crore QNet fraud to Mumbai jail after the Hyderabad High Court stayed proceedings in the case.
The CCS police had brought Michael Joseph Ferreira (78), Malcolm Nozer Desai (45), Magarlal V Balaji (40) and Srinivas Rao Vankka (47) - all directors and shareholders of Vihaan Direct Selling India Pvt Ltd - from Mumbai on a prisoner transit (PT) warrant on Tuesday night.They are accused in a case (crime number 258/2015) registered under sections 406, 420 of the IPC and sections 3, 5, 6 of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978.
The accused were produced before the XIV additional chief metropolitan magistrate at his residence on Tuesday night. As per the judge's directions, they were kept for the night in police custody and produced before the XIV ACMM's court at Nampally on Wednesday afternoon. By that time, the High Court stayed proceedings in the case. After going through the orders, the local court directed the CCS police to transfer the accused back to Mumbai prison.
"As per the directions of the court, we will transfer the accused back to Mumbai prison on Thursday," deputy commissioner of police (DCP), CCS, Avinash Mohanty said. Ferreira and others are named accused in another case registered at the CCS, but they already obtained stay on the proceedings of the case from court four days ago.
According to the DCP, multiple cases were registered against QNet multilevel marketing firm in other police stations of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra.
Briefing media personnel at his office at Basheerbagh, Mohanty said HSBC assistant manager Suman Ghosh (30) was the complainant in the case in which the accused were brought to the city from Mumbai. Suman Ghosh had lodged a complaint against Gourav Sanchet, Amit Sethia and four others alleging that they had duped him and his friends to the tune of Rs 16 lakh by making them invest in QNet e-commerce business.
Mohanty said that in the two cases currently being probed by the CCS, there were about 60 victims, who lost about Rs 70 lakh. "The money has gone to different bank accounts, including some in foreign countries. QNet is registered in Hong Kong and the kingpin of the fraud is also based there," the DCP added.