Mumbai: The Mumbai police have booked a former employee of Franco-Indian Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd for an alleged fraud of Rs 103 crore. The accused, Shahida Ansari, was a senior manager (administration) at the firm from November 2017 to January 2023, and was also a director of another firm, Ward X Pharmaceuticals. Her family members and a partnership firm, 212 Enterprises, have also been booked for the fraud.
The accused are alleged to have used the proceeds to purchase properties in Mumbai and Pune and acquire luxury vehicles. According to the FIR, Franco-Indian Pharma is headquartered at Dr E. Moses Road, Mahalaxmi. The company also operates sister concerns, Griffin Laboratories and Ward X Pharmaceuticals, which are engaged in pharmaceutical manufacturing. As per the complaint, in February 2023, firm’s MD Pascal Postel informed an ex-director, who is also the complainant, Errol James D’Souza, 71, about a sharp decline in sales alongside rising operational expenses and requested him to rejoin the company.
D’Souza rejoined the firm in March 2023 as joint executive director. As per the complaint, during Ansari’s tenure, the firm allegedly witnessed a significant rise in marketing, corporate gifting, distribution, and travel expenses without a corresponding increase in revenue. Ansari resigned from all positions on January 17, 2023, after questions were raised. Further verification revealed alleged irregularities involving her brother, Salauddin Ansari. Vendors reportedly told investigators that Salauddin instructed them to inflate prices for corporate gifting and other services in exchange for commissions and assurances of continued business.
The FIR alleges that Ansari approved the purchases. To route the alleged commission amounts, a firm named 212 Enterprises was formed by Ansari’s mother, Jahida Ansari, and daughter, Asra Sayyed. The police claim that around Rs 102 crore was transferred to the firm’s Bank of Baroda account, while Rs1 crore was routed to personal accounts of Ansari and Sayyed. D’Souza was authorised to lodge the police complaint after a board meeting on July 18, 2025.
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