Mangalore: Multi-crore international fraud - accused produced in court
Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)
Mangalore, Feb 14: Mohammed Shameer Bashyar, accused of defrauding a city-based sea food company to the tune of Rs 3.3 crore, was on Thursday February 14 produced in court.
The court has granted him judicial custody for the next 15 days.
Shameer with Korean Chang Lee
As reported earlier in these columns, Bashyar, a resident of Ullal was arrested by Pandeshwar police earlier this month for defrauding the sea food company he was working for, through fraudlent transactions worth Rs 3.3 crore.
It is said that Bashyar connived with six others including Mohammed Eshan, who was working as a quality control executive in the same company, and another person from a relatively smaller competitor.
Bashyar allegedly created fake email accounts, and after entering into a tacit understanding with fish importers located overseas, he reportedly caused loss to his company by diverting the business to the competitor.
Bashyar's father K Abbas and wife Humaya Banu are so accused in the case, as the properties were in their names. However, sources said that they are not directly involved in the fraud.
The police are also in the hunt for Chang Lee, a Korean national against whom the crime branch is said to be having substantial evidence of fraudulent breach of contract and criminal conspiracy against the Mangalore-based company. Mohammed Eshan, whose role in the case is being investigated, is absconding in Korea.
Bashyar, who earned a salary of Rs 12,000 was working with the firm for 9 years. He has built a house worth Rs 1.5 crore with furniture worth over Rs 50 lac, bought a fisheries boat, a poultry farm, and set up a chicken stall by name of 'Honest Chicken', and set up a company in Singapore as well. This apart, Eshan is said to have set up his own company called Indigo Protein in Korea.
It is said that the Eshan, Bashyar and their accomplices lived a lavish life, travelling by flights to various places in the country and abroad on weekends, and splurged money on seven-star suites. Bashyar owned five vehicles - Nissan, two Innovas, a Swift and a Tavera, all of which have been seized by the police. His bank account has also been frozen.