MUMBAI – The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested Abhishek Vyas, a director of M/s A & A Shelter, who had been on the run for eight years. Vyas was apprehended at the Hotel Taj in Santacruz following a coordinated surveillance operation based on reliable intelligence.

Multiple Fraud Cases

The EOW had previously registered six separate criminal cases against M/s A & A Shelter, Abhishek Vyas, and other associates between 2015 and 2016. The charges against them span multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)—including cheating (Section 420), criminal breach of trust (Sections 406, 409), and criminal intimidation (Section 506)—read alongside various sections of the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act (MOFA).

Following a thorough investigation, the EOW had filed formal chargesheets against Vyas and the other co-accused before the 47th Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Esplanade, Mumbai.

Evading Justice

Court records indicate that Vyas stopped attending the judicial proceedings in 2018. In response to his continuous absence, the 47th Esplanade Court issued Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) against him, officially declaring him an absconder.

Acting on a tip-off, a specialized police team successfully tracked Vyas down and accosted him at the luxury Santacruz hotel. Officials confirmed that he has been placed under arrest for all six outstanding EOW cases.

The successful operation was spearheaded by Senior Police Inspector Preetam Banavali,  Police Inspector Soham Kadam, Assistant Police Inspector Morshril Patel, and Head Constable Raghunath Barge (HC-061422).

Vyas is supposed to be produced before the 47th Esplanade Court in Mumbai, along with the requisite police report, for further investigation.