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Indian court releases on bail 2 Russians suspected in Ponzi scheme

According to different estimates, from 500,000 to one million people invested in the MMM scheme in India

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

NEW DELHI, August 14 (Itar-Tass) - Two Russians arrested in India last May on fraud charges for running local financial pyramid Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox India /MMM/ will be released on bail. Mumbai’s court issued the verdict on Wednesday, according to consular department of the Russian embassy in India.

The MMM series of financial pyramid schemes were founded during the 1990s by Russia’s famous charlatan Sergei Mavrodi, who cheated millions of Russians.

“The court decided to release on bail two Russians - Denis Rozhkov and Andrei Kilin,” the department said.

Three Russian citizens - a founder of MMM India Alexei Muratov, translator Denis Rozhkov and film director Andrei Kilin were detained in Guwahati, Assam, northeastern India. In July Guwaham’s court ordered to release Muratov on bail. He remains at large.

According to different estimates, from 500,000 to one million people invested in the MMM scheme in India. However, no official accusations have been brought against Russians so far.

Denis Rozhkov and Andrei Kilin, who together with Alexei Muratov are suspected of financial fraud running local financial pyramid Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox India or MMM, will be released within a week, a spokesman for the Russian Consulate-General in India’s Mumbai, Roman Vorobyev, told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

“Mumbai’s court ordered to release the two Russians on bail,” he said. “If all procedures are fulfilled in time, they will be able to leave a prison already by Monday.”

Police of Guwahati in northeastern India’s state of Assam arrested the Russian citizens and their Indian partners last May. Later Kilin and Rozhkov were taken to Mumbai, while Muratov, who supposedly headed the ponzi scheme in India, remained in Guwahati. He was released on bail earlier. At present, Muratov remains at large. However, no official accusations have been brought against Russians so far.

At the same time sources in MMM-India said Rozhkov and Kilin had no relation to this scheme. “Rozhkov is a film director and Kilin is a translator,” Alexei Muratov told Itar-Tass. “They had not participated in the activities of MMM India.”

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