Indian-origin Sikh on trial for $10.4mn crypto bungle in Melbourne
Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Oct, 2022 04:49 PM
Sydney, Oct 11 (IANS) An Indian-origin Sikh and his partner, who received $10.4 million from a cryptocurrency company by mistake, will face trial in Australia over allegations that they spent the money on items including a $1.2 million house.
Jatinder Singh, 37, and his partner, Thevamanogari Manivel, 40, appeared by video link from prison in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where they were committed to stand trial over theft and other charges, the Canberra Times reported.
Crypto.com intended to refund Manivel $100 but she was erroneously transferred $10,474,143. The company noticed its mistake when an audit was conducted in December 2021.
A subsequent probe found that an employee in Bulgaria, who processed the refund in May 2021, had incorrectly entered $10.4 million into an Excel spreadsheet.
Even though that Crypto.com account was in Singh's name, the transfer was sent to Manivel's account as he used her bank card to buy cryptocurrency, the Melbourne Magistrates Court was told.
Singh allegedly thought he won the money after being sent a notification from the Crypto.com app about a competition. This was also what he told Manivel, a Malaysian national.
Investigations have since revealed that $4 million of the money was allegedly transferred to an offshore bank account with other amounts spent on items including a $1.2 million home in Craigieburn and three other properties, a car, art, furniture and gifts to friends in Melbourne of more than $1 million each, a report in The Age said.
Manivel, presently out on bail, was arrested at Melbourne Airport in March 2022 while allegedly trying to fly home to Malaysia on a one-way ticket with about $11,000 in cash.
The couple will face directions hearing in the County Court on November 8.
Since Pakistan government has sent out a global appeal to the international community for extended and immediate relief aid supplies to handle the widespread damages, flood rescue and relief activities, several countries have been extending monetary and relief aids with planes carrying flood relief supplies to coordinate with the government to manage the massive humanitarian crisis.
The Prime Minister has made it clear with officials that the unbuttoned collars and laid-back atmosphere in Downing Street both left with Boris Johnson, Daily Mail reported. During Johnson's time at No 10, he was often viewed as a scruffy dresser and his controversial chief of staff Dominic Cummings was notorious for wearing shabby outfits.
Over 1.1 million houses have been damaged and some 560,000 houses have been destroyed. Over 630,000 men, women and children are reportedly living in relief camps across Pakistan, most of them in Sindh. Many more displaced people are living with host communities.
The two victims of the fire appeared to be attempting to flee before being overcome by the blaze, officials said in a media briefing Tuesday morning. Due to the blaze, all schools in Hemet Unified School District will be closed on Tuesday. School district officials said in a statement that the decision "was not made lightly."
Truss had shared the same photo on Instagram and Twitter to mark Canada Day in 2018. "30 years ago, I spent a year in Canada that changed my outlook on life," wrote Truss, who included the hashtags "CanadaDay," "maplespirit" and "pioneercountry."
The Guardian newspaper maintained Truss will pack her cabinet with loyalists and there was unlikely to be any place in it for her defeated opponent in the 8-week race for the premiership Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian extraction. It reported that Kwasi Kwarteng could replace him as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Meanwhile, Sunak extended his 'full support' to Truss.
