UK national held at Mumbai international airport in Rs13 crore cheating case

A Look Out Circular had been issued against Mark Lawrence Lopresto, who is from London and holds a dual nationality

A 62-year-old UK national was arrested at the international airport by the city Economic Offences Wing (EOW) officials in connection with a Rs13 crore cheating case on Friday.

Authorities at the Mumbai airport detained the accused and he was later arrested by EOW officials. (Getty Images/Stock Photo)

A Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against Mark Lawrence Lopresto, who is from London and holds a dual nationality, after his name cropped up in a 2014 cheating case of the EOW.

According to the police, the complainant in the cheating case, Santosh Maskara, had came in contact with Lopresto in 2007. Maskara through Lopresto had met one Vivek Tondon.

“They had decided to jointly set up a company, Alphapet Limited in Mauritius, and had also decided share holdings in the company. Later, the accused Tondon and others allegedly took 10,26,861 shares from Maskara’s company Poly Janta Technology, but never gave him any money for the same. Lopresto was then posted as chief finance officer in the company,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.

Maskara had also claimed in the complaint that Lopresto, Tondon and other accused employees allegedly siphoned off Rs54.26 lakh from the company. He also claimed he was supposed to get Rs12.43 crore from the accused, which he never got. As a result, Maskara lodged a complaint with the Marine Drive police station in 2014. The investigation of the case was later transferred to the EOW.

As Lopresto was a wanted accused in the case, an LOC was issued against him. On Friday when he arrived at the Mumbai International Airport, authorities detained him there and informed the EOW, which arrested him in the case.

Lopresto has been charged under various relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The police have already filed a charge sheet against the other accused in the case.