Economic offences,pursued and defended.
Fraud, cheating, criminal breach of trust, money-laundering and investor-deposit offences do not respect borders, and neither do the agencies that investigate them. We act for complainants seeking recovery and for individuals and companies under investigation, across the Economic Offences Wing, ED, SFIO and CBI in India and the Public Prosecution, CBUAE and Ministry of Economy channels in the UAE.
Economic offences sit at the intersection of criminal law, banking regulation and cross-border enforcement. In India the field is governed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery), the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the Negotiable Instruments Act, state depositor-protection statutes such as the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act, and the Companies Act provisions enforced by the SFIO. In the UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (the Penal Code), Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 on Anti-Money Laundering and the Cybercrime Law together reach fraud, breach of trust, embezzlement and laundering, with the Central Bank and Financial Intelligence Unit driving account freezes and suspicious-transaction action.
The UAE and India have had an extradition treaty in force since 1999 and an active mutual legal assistance relationship. Look-out circulars, Interpol red notices, passport impounding and asset attachment now routinely follow an investigation in one country into the other. For a founder, director or professional named in a complaint, the practical questions are immediate: can I travel, will my accounts be frozen, must I appear on summons, and what should be said, and not said, at the first interview.
We answer those questions early, and then build the file. On the complainant side, we prepare the criminal complaint, trace and seek attachment of assets, coordinate with banks and investigating agencies and run civil recovery in parallel. On the defence side, we manage summons responses, bail and anticipatory relief, LOC and red-notice challenges, account-unfreezing applications and, where the matter turns on documents and money-flows, the forensic accounting that decides it. Formal representation before UAE courts is coordinated through registered Emirati advocates.
Every mandate is staffed by a founding partner and a small, dedicated team. Where formal representation before UAE courts or authorities is required, we instruct and coordinate registered Emirati advocates so that clients receive one accountable file across legal consultancy and formal representation. Cross-border work between the UAE, India and the USA is run from the same file, with local counsel engaged where applicable law requires.
Complainant-side complaints and defence for cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and embezzlement under the BNS in India and the UAE Penal Code, including corporate and partnership disputes that have turned criminal.
Response to ED summons, ECIRs, provisional attachment and adjudication under PMLA; suspicious-transaction and FIU engagement, account freezes and AML compliance defence under UAE Federal Decree-Law 20/2018.
Preparation for and attendance at recorded statements, document production strategy, privilege management and coordination between agencies and jurisdictions.
Applications to release frozen bank accounts, challenge provisional attachment, protect third-party and family assets, and secure operating funds for businesses under investigation.
Challenge and withdrawal of LOCs, Interpol red-notice deletion requests to the CCF, and defence of extradition requests under the UAE–India treaty, with travel-ban management in the UAE.
Group actions for investors in Ponzi, chit-fund and unregistered deposit schemes under the MPID Act and SEBI/RBI frameworks, and the corresponding UAE actions where operators or funds sit in the Emirates.
Section 138 NI Act proceedings in India; civil execution and residual criminal exposure for dishonoured cheques under the UAE Commercial Transactions Law as amended from 2022.
Board-mandated investigations into suspected fraud or diversion, employee interviews, evidence preservation, regulator self-reporting strategy and recovery actions against insiders.
The work, on record.
Client names withheld under counsel duties; details rendered indicative.
ED summons and provisional attachment for a technology founder
Represented a Pune-based founder named in an ECIR arising from an investor dispute: managed recorded statements, challenged provisional attachment of operating accounts and secured release of funds required for payroll. LOC withdrawn.
Depositor group action against a collapsed investment scheme
Acted for 140+ depositors of a Maharashtra-based scheme under the MPID Act, coordinating EOW complaint, attachment of promoter assets and parallel UAE action against a Dubai entity used to hold proceeds.
Interpol red-notice challenge for a UAE-resident executive
Prepared a CCF deletion request on procedural and proportionality grounds for an executive subject to a red notice arising from a commercial dispute recast as cheating, with parallel travel-ban management in Dubai.
Internal investigation into diversion at a distribution company
Board-mandated investigation into invoice inflation and vendor kickbacks at a UAE–India distributor: forensic accounting, employee interviews, criminal complaints in both countries and civil recovery against the former CFO.
Economic Offences & White-Collar Defence
Reading, between the codes.
Speak to the practice.
A discreet, no-obligation first conversation, usually within one working day. Urgent matters are triaged the same day.