A poster in the rally. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 18: Investors, who became the victims of fraud deposit schemes, today staged a demonstration in front of the state Assembly demanding return of money within a specific time.

The investors, under the banner of Arthika Sansthamananka Dwara Khhatigrastanka Milita Mancha, today also submitted a five-point charter of demands to the finance minister.

The demands included involving each tehsil in the state to identify duped depositors and ascertain the exact amount of money siphoned off by these companies. They said that the state government’s investigation into the matter should also include other fraudulent companies against whom no case has been registered so far. Besides, they also demanded framing of stringent laws ensuring 100 per cent refund of depositor’s money.

They alleged that though the state government had in July last year announced to constitute a corpus fund of Rs 300 crore to help the victims of the scam, it is yet to materialise.

Rina Rani Dey, 28, a homemaker of Bhusanpur in Khurda district is one among the thousands of victims of the multi-crore scam. Rina, whose husband owns a mobile shop in Bhusanpur, had deposited Rs 5 lakh in 2012 with Suraha Microfinance to insure her family. However she was not aware that one she would have to run from pillar to post to get back her deposit.

Similarly, another victim of the scam Govind Chandra Sarangi, 53, who had invested Rs 10 lakh in Seashore in 2009, is waiting for the government action to get back his investment.

“The Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in financial establishment) Act enables the state government to attach the properties of the fraudulent companies and return the money to investors. But the cost of property of various such companies seized by the investigating agencies is very less as compared to the money invested by investors. So it cannot ensure 100 per cent return to all the investors,” said Jayant Das, convenor of the forum.

He also said that the investors would stage a demonstration in front of Parliament in the second week of August.