Top Speak Asia official detained by police for questioning

Mumbai: The chief operating officer of Speak Asia, a Singapore-based firm that conducts online surveys for clients using its own registered members, was detained Friday by the economic offences wing of Mumbai Police.

Tarak Bajpai has been detained for investigation into a possible multi-crore fraud, said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner with Mumbai police. The move comes two days after the Criminal Investigation Department had frozen the company's bank accounts in India. Bajpai was arrested in Indore and brought to Mumbai on Friday.
Headquartered in Singapore, Speak Asia is yet to be registered as a company in India, officials said. Many police reports and public interest litigations had been filed against the company, alleging fraud.

Once a member joins up and pays a fee of Rs 11,000, Speak Asia allows them to respond to market research which clients want conducted.
"The nature of business is such that legally the need for a permanent establishment does not arise as per prevailing laws in India. However to support the business in India, Speak Asia plans to open a permanent establishment in India soon." The company also claims it has written to several agencies and regulatory bodies in India, as also the Prime Minister's Office, for a thorough probe into its affairs since allegations against it could damage its reputation.
Source: IANS