Speak Asia global CEO Harendar Kaur and Indian CEO Manoj Kumar went into hiding after allegations they diverted over $100 million in panelist funds to Singapore. The pair vanished following the reported transfer of money. Rumors placed them in Dubai.
Manoj Kumar released a video in late July, just after Chief Operating Officer Tark Bajpai's arrest. In the video, Kumar told Speak Asia's panelists he would "be back in Mumbai soon." That return never happened. Kaur and Kumar remained overseas as investigations and legal actions against Speak Asia continued in India. Both CEOs avoided Indian authorities, choosing instead to direct operations from beyond international borders.
Now, these international safe havens may no longer protect them. The Daily Bhaskar reports India's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is targeting Kaur's business interests in Singapore. A CID team is preparing to travel to Singapore for investigations and to take key individuals into custody. The CID also sought assistance from the Union Home Ministry for this effort.
The Daily Bhaskar also hinted at potential involvement from Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization. For now, the primary objective appears to be seizing Harendar Kaur's business assets and recovering as much of the panelists' money as possible. With Interpol's potential involvement, and with the United Arab Emirates, India, and Singapore all being member states, arrests of Kumar and Kaur could become a real possibility.
Meanwhile, Speak Asia itself operates in an entirely different reality. An allegedly official Blogspot blog, "SpeakAsiaOnline.Marketing," purportedly run by the company's Corporate Marketing department, claims ongoing efforts. The blog states, "We are at the moment engaging in various activities and actions that will ensure that we return to normalcy as soon as possible." These activities include approaching "various authorities concerned to explain the business model and their approval on it." It also mentioned implementing a "methodology for exercising the exit options."
