Second case against them under investigation
PANAJI
The Economic Offences Cell (EOC) of Goa Police has filed a chargesheet against investment fraudsters Myron Rodrigues and his wife Deepali Parab for allegedly cheating a local senior citizen Ivon Suresh Joaquim Almeida of Rs 1.19 crore.
The chargesheet, filed before the Principal District and Sessions Court in Margao, on Tuesday, declared Rodrigues as an absconder. It also submitted that a Blue Notice is already issued against him and a Red Corner Notice to soon follow.
Details in the chargesheet reveal that between March 1, 2023, and August 9, 2023, the accused induced Almeida, a 60-year-old resident of Navelim, to invest in the stock market and other financial instruments, promising returns of 25-45 per cent on short-term investments.
Believing their assurances, Almeida transferred Rs 49 lakh via RTGS to Rodrigues’ account. Although Rodrigues later returned Rs 12.45 lakh, the accused couple failed to pay the promised returns or return the principal amount, ultimately cheating the complainant of Rs 36.54 lakh. During the probe, Almeida informed the police that he had invested another Rs 5 lakh on February 9, 2023, bringing the total fraud amount to Rs 41.54 lakh.
During the investigation, the EOC attached a villa and a flat owned by Rodrigues along with three flats belonging to Parab. The EOC also froze a bank account containing Rs 1.94 lakh. Further, deposits worth Rs 35.25 lakh and another bank account with Rs 4.13 lakh belonging to Parab were frozen.
The charge sheet findings also mentioned that the accused defrauded not only Almeida but also numerous other investors, misused their funds for personal luxury and created a complex financial web involving multiple bank accounts and companies. The Crime Branch is also investigating another case involving Rodrigues, his ex-wife Sunita Rodrigues, Deepali Parab, and five other accomplices -- Nolan Lawrence Antao, Joaquim Rosario Pires, Vijay Dattatray Joil, Navnik Mario Pereira and Sushant Manohar Ghodge. Among them, only Sunita has been arrested so far; taken into custody on December 7, 2024 and released on conditional bail after 20 days.
Meanwhile, the anticipatory bail plea of five directors of Idyllic Goan Gateways is pending before the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Margao.
Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Rahul Gupta stated that efforts are ongoing to arrest Parab. So far, authorities have attached gold ornaments and jewellery weighing 4.361 kg valued at Rs 3.37 crore, along with six flats and a villa. Property documents seized from HDFC Bank lockers belonging to Rodrigues and Parab have also been attached.
The SP explained that filing a charge sheet is an essential requirement to open Red Corner notice through Interpol. “A red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar action,” he said.
The case has wider ramifications beyond Goa. On January 6, 2024, the MHB Colony Police Station in Mumbai registered a case against Myron Rodrigues and Sunita following a complaint by Mumbai resident Soma Francis Andrade, who accused them of duping her of Rs 5.15 crore. Parab has also been named in this case and Sunita remains in judicial custody.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the money trail and attached additional properties linked to Myron Rodrigues and Deepali Parab.
