Rs 1,000 cr pan India ponzi scam: Odisha EOW to quiz Bollywood actor Govinda

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), probing the Rs 1,000 crore pan-India Solar Techno Alliance's (STA-Token) Ponzi scam in the garb of crypto investment, will soon question Bollywood actor Govinda.

EOW DSP Sasmita Sahu on Thursday said actor Govinda had gone to launch the blockchain technology at an event in Goa.

“We have not taken any decision yet, but we may call him at EOW. At present investigation is on and we will ascertain Govinda’s role and why he had gone to the event. We may summon the actor here or a team will visit Mumbai,” said Sahu.

The senior EOW official said that Govinda had attended the event in Goa to launch the block-chain technology of STA. It may have influenced some new investors to invest by the fact that a Bollywood star is launching it and suspecting it to be genuine. It might be possible that Gurtej Sigh Sidhu, the India head of ‘STA Crypto token’, might have called Govinda for this purpose only.

The EOW had earlier arrested Gurtej Sigh Sidhu, the India head of ‘STA Crypto token’ from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.

Apart from Sidhu, the EOW had also arrested Nirod Das of Bhadrak who is the Odisha head of STA, (Solar Techno Alliance), which was launched in September 2021.

The EOW launched a probe after getting intelligence that a crypto currency-based Ponzi scheme/scam is being run in Odisha especially in Bhadrak, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Keonjhar districts.

On August 19, the Bureau of Immigration has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against David Gez, 32, a Hungarian national, who is the head of mega Crypto-Ponzi scam -STA Token.