Kerala couple flee after cheating over Rs 50 Cr through chit fund schemes in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jul 9 (PTI): A couple hailing from Kerala, running a chit fund company in Bengaluru, fled after allegedly cheating more than 1,300 investors of over Rs 50 crore here, police said on Wednesday.
A majority of the people who have invested in their schemes are Keralites, they said.
The matter came to light after one of the investors, PT Savio, who claimed to have lost Rs 70 lakh in the scheme, approached the officials at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station on July 5, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case under Chit Funds Act, relevant section of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance 2019, and sections 318 (cheating), 316 (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against Tomy A and his wife Shini Tomy, proprietors of A&A Chit Funds and Finance in the Ramamurthy Nagar area in Bengaluru, police said.
Following his complaint, several investors came forward with complaints after they found that the firm's office was locked and the couple unreachable.
According to police, so far, they have received 265 formal complaints against the couple, who have settled in Bengaluru for a long time.
Citing a preliminary investigation, a senior police officer said that the couple had allegedly sold their apartment, switched off their phones, and disappeared. The couple reportedly started the business around 2005, had been collecting money through various deposit and chit schemes, promising high returns.
The operation continued for nearly two decades before collapsing recently, he said.
A manhunt has been launched to trace the accused, police said, adding that the true scale of the fraud could be much larger.
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Worker’s body reaches Ranchi from Saudi 4 months after death; family rejects over compensation
Ranchi (PTI): The body of a migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district killed in Saudi Arabia in October last year has arrived at Ranchi Airport, but his family refused to accept it over pending compensation, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader of the state migrant control cell, told PTI that, before taking the body of Vijay Kumar Mahato, the family is demanding compensation from the private company where he used to work in the Arab country.
Mahato was killed in an alleged crossfire between the police and criminals.
“Since it was a bullet injury case, the matter is before a court in Jeddah. The final compensation may depend on the court’s decision,” Lakra said.
“The Indian Embassy informed us about the body’s arrival, and coordination was done with district authorities. Our role is limited to coordination in cases involving overseas employers and foreign jurisdiction,” she added.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav said the authorities will try to convince the family to perform the last rites.
“We have already sanctioned Rs 5 lakh under the government scheme for migrant’s deaths abroad. The compensation payment might take some time,” he said.
The body is currently at the mortuary of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The Family members said they will only accept it if the company provides written assurance regarding compensation. “Without that assurance, we will not receive the body,” said Ram Prasad Mahato, the deceased’s brother-in-law.
Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block, was employed as a tower line fitter. His family said he was struck by a bullet during a gunfight between local police and an extortion gang and later succumbed to his injuries.
Social activist Sikander Ali said Mahato is survived by his wife, two young sons aged five and three, and elderly parents.
