Bhubaneswar, May 14: A group of investors today lodged a complaint with the crime branch’s economic offence wing against a deposit collection company for cheating them of Rs 8 crore.

The investors alleged that the company, Mimi India Leasing and Funding Limited, which started out in 2009 in Balasore, had cheated around 15,000 people who had invested their hard-earned money expecting good returns.

Surendranath Samal, a retired schoolteacher, said after his retirement in 2009, he had invested Rs 9 lakh in the company under various schemes. The company had promised high interests including double money in four years.

“Initially, I got interest for a few months but then they did not pay any money. I went to them several times but they did not listen to me,” said Surendranath.

Like him, there are others who invested in the company but were cheated.

Prahalad Kumar Samal, who was branch manager of one of the branches of the deposit collection company eight months ago, said he had also had invested Rs 4 lakh, but did not get his money back. “I worked at the company for around nine months. During this period, I invested Rs 4 lakh but when I got to know that it was cheating people, I left the company. They did not pay my money,” he said.

Deputy inspector-general (DIG) Rajesh Kumar said they would register a case and take action accordingly.

“We are inquiring into all such cases and are taking steps,” said Kumar.

City police officials said they would look into allegations brought by the chairman and managing director of Artha Tatwa Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited Pradeep Sethi, 38, who was arrested on Sunday.

Sethi has alleged that he had bribed several ministers, legislators and influential people to run the company. He said more than Rs 75 crore had been paid to these people as bribe so that he could run his business. Police officials said Sethi’s company had collected over Rs 130 crore as deposits from people.

Sethi was arrested following a complaint lodged by a former IPS officer at Kharavela Nagar police station. Besides, 10 more cases have been registered against him in various police stations of the state. Sethi is now lodged at Jharapada special jail.

The police said Sethi had not revealed the names of people, who he claimed to have bribed.

“We will bring him on remand to interrogate him,” said deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh.