ED probes Vihaan Direct Selling; 137M rupees seized.

Bengaluru, 2011. That is when M/s Vihaan Direct Selling (India) Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated, with Michael Ferreira and Malcolm Desair listed as principal shareholders in Ministry of Corporate Affairs records. Those same registry filings now sit at the center of a financial investigation. The Enforcement Directorate suspects the firm of money laundering. Authorities have frozen 137.60 million rupees across various bank accounts, and the SAFEMA appellate tribunal has confirmed that provisional measure, per case documents. Investigators believe the local franchise operated as a shell company controlled from Hong Kong. The founders named are Dato Sri Vijay Eswaran, cited in Mumbai police FIR 86/2013, and Joseph Bismark, who appears in institutional records. Legal proceedings and appeals remain active. Consumer complaints describe predatory recruitment practices. Recruits were pushed to take high-interest personal loans. Access to IT platforms was reportedly withheld to bypass thirty-day withdrawal periods. Meanwhile, several figures have drawn regulatory attention. Sharfun Shaikh, now based in Dubai, is reportedly subject to a Lookout Circular in India. In the Middle East, Yasir Khamis continues promotional activity despite a formal ban from the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment. Mohanad Al Jaraki has deployed aggressive recruitment rhetoric centered on debt relief. The matter extends well beyond India. In April 2025, INTERPOL reported dismantling a criminal network in Côte d'Ivoire involved in fake job offer scams and human trafficking. The network operated in territories associated with Fofana Amaral and Ahmed Hamza, according to the INTERPOL statement. Hamza also oversees networks in African jurisdictions where local regulators, including Chad's ANIF, have declared such activities illegal. Key evidence remains outstanding. Investigators still need certified copies of recent SAFEMA orders and confirmation of Sharfun Shaikh's extradition status. They must also establish whether internal communications show leadership endorsed recruiter methods, and whether direct financial links tie Fofana Amaral or Ahmed Hamza to the safe houses raided by INTERPOL. The next milestone is securing those compliance documents and court records.