Eurosia Holiday Fraud Case: High Court Orders Pune Police Joint Commissioner To File Affidavit
Pune, 29th November 2022: The Bombay High Court has taken cognizance of fraud by the travel company Eurosia. Citizens are hopeful of getting speedy justice in Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
Eurosia Holiday Club Pvt. Ltd. came to Pune in 2015, having its big office at Marigold IT Park, Kalyani Nagar. Loli Khriche from Manipur and Sarkiri Singnar from Assam were appointed as Directors. As part of their ‘Modus Operandi’, the Eurosia staff would contact individuals and families at malls and other public places in Pune and invite them for gifts to their office. Thus, people were lured and coaxed into buying the Club membership of Eurosia for 5/10/15 years for Rs 50,000 to about Rs two lakhs. In return, Eurosia offered six-seven nights stay in three-star and five-star hotels every year in India or abroad, plus other facilities, by entering into short agreements. Thus, hundreds of middle/lower middle-class citizens were made ‘members’ by Eurosia by accepting huge funds towards its membership.
However, in March-May 2017, Eurosia company and its Directors and Managers closed their office and vanished with all the funds received from the citizens. Thus, the citizens realized that large-scale fraud and cheating has been practised. About 201 police complaints were filed by the citizens of Pune at the Yerwada Police Station. The total loss of public money is about Rs 1.28 crores, though the number of members/victims may be much more.
The Yerwada Police arrested the Directors and two Managers of Eurosia, but subsequently, they were released on bail. The State Government has filed a Criminal Complaint against Eurosia and others for cheating and other offences in the JMFC Court at Shivajinagar, Pune. Though the Police filed the charge sheet on 13th September 2018, the court matter continues to be pending and may take many years for any outcome.
The citizens/victims have also filed three joint complaints in 2017 and 2018 to the then Chief Minister, the Guardian Minister and the Police Commissioner, but there was no urgent specific action or reply to the same. The common grievance of all the victims/citizens has been the alleged improper and inadequate investigation, They have hence requested the appointment of a special Police task force, expert financial Investigators, and transfer to EOW to study and to further investigate in detail the money trail and where the collected funds of Eurosia have gone or been transferred.
Along with the three original complainants, Bibhishan Gunaware, Navin Barathe and C.K. Suryavanshi also filed a Criminal Writ Petition in the Bombay High Court in July 2019 through Adv. C. D. Nargolkar, based on facts, grounds, and prayers stated therein. On 10th November 2022, the Division Bench of the Mumbai High Court, after hearing Adv. C. D. Nargolkar, has taken serious cognizance of the facts stated in the Petition and passed its order in the public interest, directing the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pune to file his Affidavit in this matter, whether or not, a proper and satisfactory action and an investigation were carried out in the Eurosia matter. The said Petition will thereafter be heard in the High Court for further orders.
Even after Eurosia, there were a few other similar ‘fly by night’ travel companies which have duped many people in Pune city. As such, hundreds of such victims/citizens in the city can now hope for early justice through speedy actions by the police and the Judiciary.
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