Ranchi, March 28: Over 200 investors and agents, duped by over two dozen chit fund firms, hit the roads in the capital today to demand speedy investigations by CBI and ED into the cheating and swindling cases and appropriate action against the actual culprits who fled with poor people's savings.
Agitating under the banner of Non-Banking Abhikarta Evam Niveshak Suraksh Samiti, the victims, who came from across the state, carried out a protest march from Jaipal Singh Stadium to Raj Bhavan in the afternoon. Later, they submitted a memorandum to governor Droupadi Murmu, demanding arrest of the masterminds and seizure of their property to repay the investors.
They also submitted a list of 27 chit fund firms, including Sharada Group of Companies, Sarada Pleasure and Adventure Ltd, Sarada Mutual Benefit (Nidhi), Kolkata Weir Industries, Waris Group, Dolphin Project, Rose Valley and Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd, among others, which collectively duped over three lakh gullible investors of not less than Rs 20,000 crore in Jharkhand alone.
The protesters also urged the government to protect the poor agents who were first cheated by the chit fund firms and left at the mercy of angry investors and now being harassed by police on the name of investigation even as the masterminds were still at large.
"I worked as an agent of Waris Group owned by Shane Ahmad Warsi and Syed Sahnawaz Warsi. I had collected Rs 15 lakh from investors, apart from investing Rs 2 lakh of my own in the scheme in 2012. They decamped with Rs 150 crore of the investors, who are now baying for my blood," said Suresh Kumar, who come from Ramgarh district to take part in the protest.
This Calcutta-based company, with 18 branches across the state, operated from 2008 to 2014. Its zonal office at Chati Bazar in Ramgarh, which was inaugurated by then Assembly Speaker C.P. Singh (currently urban development minister in the BJP government) in 2009, was sealed by CBI last week. Suresh showed a photograph of the BJP leader inaugurating the office.
Shankar Hajam of Kanke had raised Rs 42 lakh from around 100 investors between 2010 and 2014 for Kolkata Weir Industries, which fleeced over one lakh investors of Rs 300 crore. Shahjahan Khan is chairman of the company which was barred by SEBI from raising money from public. It had its office in Ranchi which is closed since 2014.
"I thank God if my day passes off without any slap or abuse. Investors come and take away whatsoever they get in my home. What pains me the most is that they tease my children as chorwa ka baccha (child of a thief)," Shankar said.
Similarly, Dolphin Group of Companies, which had its office on Gurudwara Road in Hatia, had mobilised Rs 20 crore from investors. Nine months ago, chief zonal manager Vimal Singh and marketing director Ganesh Pandey decamped with all documents related to the investments. A case was lodged at Jagannathpur thana last year.
In a related development, principal secretary (finance) Amit Khare has directed officials of Basil International Ltd, another non-banking company, to appear before him tomorrow. The notice in this regard was issued on March 19 on the recommendation of the Dhanbad district administration after the company stopped paying maturity amounts to its investors.
