Speak Asia didn’t have clients, surveys were fake
Revelation comes after the EOW arrests web designing firm owner; Speak Asia officials had claimed its surveys were commissioned by overseas clients
Online survey firm Speak Asia’s surveys for its investor-panelists were sourced mostly from Wikipedia and other sites on the Internet, and not from clients based abroad, the investigation by the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police has revealed.
The EOW, on Friday, arrested a web designing firm’s owner who allegedly prepared surveys for Speak Asia from information he gathered through the Internet. Speak Asia’s claim that its surveys were sourced to clients abroad who wanted feedback from consumers in India, has fallen flat following revelations by him.
Nayan Khandor, 25, owner of Brand Saloon Inc. was arrested by EOW on Friday evening and following a search at his office in Dadar, cops seized material that suggested his firm’s relationship with Speak Asia. “We are in possession of Khandor’s electronic communication with Speak Asia’s Manoj Sharma, the bills Speak Asia paid for, and the unsent surveys he did for Speak Asia,” said an EOW official.
(Web designing firm owner Nayan Khandor who allegedly prepared the surveys from information on the net)
According to police, Khandor claimed he was aware that the surveys he was doing for Speak Asia were not being used for any genuine purpose. Speak Asia used to pay him anything between Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per survey.
“In one of the emails exchanged between Khandor and Seven Rings India, a Speak Asia concern, Khandor was given a list of topics that were to be considered for future surveys. The topics included use of scooters, deodorants, talcum powder, washing machines, power saving etc,” said EOW sources. Khandor and his team would search information related to the above topics on Wikipedia and other sites on the Internet and prepare a survey. It would be sent to Seven Rings India or Tusliantek company in Delhi.
From Delhi, the survey, after approval by top bosses, was uploaded on a Singapore-based server to be sent to hundreds of panelists who were supposed to respond to it.
Speak Asia bosses have maintained so far that the surveys were commissioned by companies abroad and the income from these surveys was being distributed among the investor-panelists. Each panelist had to conduct four surveys a month for which he was paid Rs 500 per survey.
Khandor will be produced in court on Saturday and EOW authorities said they will seek his police custody for further interrogation. On Thursday, EOW had arrested Speak Asia financial consultant Sanjeev Dandona. According to EOW, Dandona was proxy owner of Kritanj Management, a firm associated with Speak Asia.
Courtesy : Mumbai Mirror