Mumbai's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) took Melvin Crasto, president of the All India Speak Asia Panelist Association (AISPA), into custody on November 25, 2011. The move came as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) charged Speak Asia with money laundering. AISPA initially announced the "surprise move" on its website, stating Crasto was picked up for interrogation.

AISPA Secretary Ashok Bahirwani had consistently maintained a separation between AISPA and Speak Asia. He previously stated he had no direct contact with Speak Asia management. The EOW, just two weeks prior, called Speak Asia "the biggest multi-level marketing fraud" they had ever investigated. The agency's specific interest in Crasto, a panelist with no public ties to Speak Asia's operations, remained unclear at first.

Anju Agarwal, a commenter supportive of Speak Asia, posted on Facebook shortly after the initial AISPA announcement. She claimed the EOW was also looking for Ashok Bahirwani. This suggested Crasto's interrogation and the search for Bahirwani were linked to the ongoing criminal investigation into Speak Asia.

Crasto's status quickly shifted from custody to arrest. Anand Prasad reported the arrest on Facebook. The AISPA update detailing the event, promised earlier, did not materialize.

Bahirwani, along with Aman Azad, was believed to have gone into hiding following Crasto's arrest. Bahirwani did not answer calls, and Azad was "away from net." Crasto was scheduled to appear in Mumbai's Qila court.

The court remanded Crasto to EOW custody for seven days, until December 2. Speak Asia's senior members did not disclose the charges against him. They also did not explain the EOW's suspicions, even as they continued to insist Crasto was neither an employee nor involved in Speak Asia's operations.

Ashok Bahirwani remained unaccounted for. Aman Azad, however, reappeared online after the court hearing.

The Times of India reported the next day that Melvin Crasto's actual name is Melvin D'Costa. Rajawardhan Sinha, additional commissioner for the EOW, identified him as "not only a panelist but also a prime promoter of the company." Sinha also stated D'Costa "could not explain the transfer of around $3,000 in his account."