I am a victim of chit fund scam too: Odisha CM Mohan Majhi
Bhubaneswar, Dec 24: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday claimed that he was also a victim of chit fund scams and urged people to be aware of the activities of ponzi firms to save their hard-earned money.
Majhi said this while addressing a function to celebrate the State Level National Consumers Day here. "I was also a victim of chit fund scams. Two firms had duped me in 1990 and 2002," the chief minister said, adding that he could not get back his money as the process of recovering the money was too cumbersome and too lengthy.
Claiming that he lost the investment in two ponzi firms, the chief minister said he was influenced by the sweet talks made by the firm agents and arranged money to deposit in certain schemes. "However, when the maturity period came, I could not find the companies where money was deposited," he said.
The chief minister said there has been a lot of change now as the Centre has formulated and strengthened regulations to stop cheating and duping of consumers.
The CM praised the BJP-led central government for amending the Chit Funds Act, 1982, in 2019, to ensure transparency in chit fund schemes. He mentioned that the amended legislation addressed the loopholes in the previous Act.
In Odisha, around 70 lakh people were allegedly duped by ponzi firms. Following a Supreme Court order in May 2014, the CBI investigated at least 44 companies, including Kolkata-based Saradha Group and Odisha-based Seashore and Artha Tatwa groups. These ponzi firms reportedly collected around Rs 4,600 crore from people in the state over four years.
Before the 2014 general elections, the then BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik formed a commission and set up a Rs 300 crore corpus fund to refund the duped small depositors. The commission, headed by Justice MM Das, identified around 1 lakh small depositors who lost Rs 10,000 or less.
In response to a written question in the Assembly, Majhi informed that around 2 lakh small investors had already received their money back.
Jayant Das, convenor of the Odisha Khytigratha Jamakari Milita Manch, criticised the state government for not taking measures to refund money to depositors duped by different ponzi firms, despite the ruling BJP’s election promise to refund the chit fund-affected people within 18 months.
However, Housing and Urban Development Minister KC Mohapatra assured that the BJP government would keep its promise and that the depositors would get their money back in the coming days.
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Two arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting woman at knifepoint in Kochi
Kochi (PTI): Two persons have been arrested after a three-member gang allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint near Ernakulam Junction Railway station, officials said on Friday.
The arrested accused were identified as Danish (26), a native of Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district, and Rahul (39), a native of Paravoor in Kollam district.
Police officials said they were searching for the prime accused, Sanjay, a native of Aroor in Alappuzha district.
According to police, the incident occurred on the night of May 5 when the victim was chatting with her friend near a closed hotel near Ernakulam Junction Railway station.
Officials said the accused approached them, attacked the victim’s friend and then allegedly threatened the woman with a knife before sexually assaulting her.
Police said the accused also allegedly disrobed the victim during the attack.
However, the woman managed to escape from the spot and approached a nearby shop for help.
Police were informed immediately and shifted the victim to the police station.
Officials said the accused were heavily drunk at the time of the incident and went into hiding soon after the attack.
Police registered a case on May 6 under charges including rape, disrobing a woman, criminal intimidation and robbery.
The two accused were later arrested in the city, while efforts are continuing to trace Sanjay, police said.
The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
