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ED Starts Extradition Push for Key Torres Fraud Accused Traced to Moldova

The court’s attestation signals a pivot to cross-border action to recover an alleged Rs 177 crore laundered via hawala-to-crypto channels.

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Overview

  • The Enforcement Directorate, which moved the special PMLA court Monday, received attested papers to compile an extradition dossier after tracing Olena Stoian to Moldova.
  • A special PMLA court had issued non-bailable warrants in November 2025 for Stoian, Oleksandr “Alex” Zapichenko, Viktoria Kovalenko and Sagar Mehta.
  • Investigators say the Torres chain pitched weekly returns of 2% to 12% and 20% referral bonuses, held splashy events, and sold synthetic moissanite as high-value diamonds.
  • The ED alleges about Rs 177.11 crore in cash was routed through hawala operators and converted into USDT cryptocurrency, which makes the trail harder to seize.
  • Police and the ED report more than 15 arrests as at least 10 key accused fled abroad, with Lurchenko Igor traced to Ukraine after an Interpol Blue Corner Notice.