DURGAPUR/MURSHIDABAD/CHINSURAH, 2 MAY: West Bengal's fast emerging
multi-business conglomerate, Rose Valley, after being denied any further
financial assistance by Axis Bank, started issuing ‘chit’s today,
delaying refund to depositors for another three months. Meanwhile, three
persons, defrauded by different chit-fund companies, committed suicide
within a span of one week in Murshidabad, while another investor was
denied refund by Aries Investment company in Chinsurah, where five
mediapersons were assaulted when they went there to take the sound-bite
of an investor of Gold Mine Agro.
Axis Bank’s Airport branch in
Kolkata, its nodal office for chit fund related businesses, had
cautioned Rose Valley authorities to look for alternative arrangements
as it was not interested for any financial transaction with the company
beyond 30 April. Despite this, the company continued offering Axis Bank
cheques to some depositors who thronged the company’s City Centre and
Benachitty branches in Durgapur today.
Most depositors, however,
were issued chits bearing the official seal of the company, which stated
August 2013 as the date of payment. Mr Abhijit Majumdar, Rose Valley
branch manager at City Centre, said: “We have issued nearly 6,500 number
of such slips to the depositors against submission of the photo copies
of their respective premature policy papers.” He added: “Axis Bank had
warned us not to issue any cheque bearing dates beyond 30 April.
Accordingly our Midnapore regional office ordered us to issue such slips
to help identification of depositors, who would be disbursed their
deducted sums.”
Axis Bank has assured to entertain clearance of
the cheques till 30 June, Rose Valley officials said. The company has
been trying to rope in Bank of India to wriggle out of the crisis.
A
political controversy, meanwhile, was triggered off in Durgapur today
after the Trinamul Congress brought out a photograph in which veteran
CPI-M leader and former Rajyasabha MP, Mr Jibon Roy, was seen receiving a
cheque worth Rs1.10 lakh from Mr Partha Chakraborty, MD, Chakra Group,
another chit fund. The cheque was handed over to Mr Roy, who is the head
of Durgapur Children’s Academy & Culture, an NGO set up on 2
August, 2008.
Mr Parimal Agasty, ward committee secretary of the
Trinamul Congress in City Centre area, alleged: “The CPI-M has been
talking about its so called distance from the chit fund scam, but we
have got evidence that a bunch of leaders like Mr Roy were hand-in-glove
with such companies.”
Mr Roy said: “Many corporate offices have
come forward to sponsor the Academy, which is meant for children’s
welfare and I don’t think that anyone of the Academy individually drew
benefits.”
At the City Centre Police Investigation Centre, a
group of aggrieved depositors from villages in Bankura today lodged a
complaint against Greenfield Multi Developer, which allegedly had
cheated them of Rs 12 crore.
In a related development, a farmer,
Nabin Mahato (40), was found dead on the railway track near
Azimganj junction of Howrah Division yesterday. Mahato was a depositor
with Saradha Group, said his wife, Mrs Sumitra Mahato.
She said:
“He was glued to TV channels for hours and assured me that Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee would pay us back. But I could not guess that
depression went so deep in his mind.” Mahato's body was recovered by GRP
and sent for autopsy.
Another suicide of a housewife,
Pratima Das (36) was reported yesterday from the district. Das from the
Tenya area under the jurisdiction of Salar police station was an agent
of two chit-fund concerns ~ ATM group of Companies and
Burdwan Sunmarg, her family members said. Unable to take stress of being
harassed and verbally abused by depositors, she preferred to hang
herself at her home, her family members said. They also informed that
depositors apprehending loss of money raided her residence a number of
times demanding immediate refund of deposits.
Police reported
unnatural death of one Santosh Gupta who used to work at
Farakka-based office of a chit-fund group, Rose-Valley. Gupta's body was
found from the railway track near New Farakka station. It might be a
case of murder or suicide but it is likely to be related to chit-fund
mess, police said.
One Prabodh Sinha, reportedly a depositor with
Saradha Group, hanged himself at his residence at Farakka last week.
Sinha (43) served as a tax collector of Bahadurpur panchayat at
Farakka.
Prior to suicide, Sinha admitted that he could not get
back his sum, that matured, a few months ago, despite repeated requests
to the chit-fund officials. In a related incident, Mr Rabin Mallick, a
resident of Piyara Bagan Kadamtala, Chinsurah was denied refund from his
his four fixed deposits, over a period of five years, by Aries
Investment company at Taldanga in Chinsurah.
Mr Mallick, who is in
dire need of money, had one of his fixed deposits in the name of his
mother, Basanti Mallick, who is a senior citizen.
Mr Mallick, had to wait for three hours before was turned back with a refusal of the refund.
Mr
Mallick reported the incident to police but did not lodge a written
complaint. Mr Mallick, however, handed a copy of his complaint against
Aries chit fund to the media persons.
Mr Prabir Sarkar, a resident
of the Keota area in Bandel and an employee of Aries Chit Fund, was,
however, a little lucky as he was granted a refund, with 30% deduction.
Protesting against this, Mr Sarkar stages a hunger strike at the main
gate of the chit fund office. The company, in bid to prevent a mass
protest, later handed over total refund amount.
Five reporters,
were, meanwhile, assaulted by employees of Gold Mine Agro chit fund
company, when the former tried to reach, Tripti Bhadra, an investor,
kept confined in an office room of the company, for comments.
The
employees attacked the media persons, snatched their cameras and beat
them up. Police later rescued them.The accused who were arrested were
soon released on bail. The assaulted media persons demanded strict
punishment. Police super, Mr Tanmay Rai Chaudhari ordered a probe.
Police raid offices of Prayag,MPS Group
KOLKATA, 2 MAY: Police today raided the office of Prayag Group and MPS
Group after they received complaint from depositors alleging non-payment
of their dues. Police raided two offices of Prayag ~ one at India
Exchange Palace and another at Bhupen Roy Road in Behala. Offices of
MPS, one at Chowringhee and another at Lake Town were raided. "We took
the initiative after complaints were lodged against them in Tamluk and
Kolaghat police stations. Depositors there alleged that both the
companies failed to give their money back on time. We have asked both
the companies and their branches to stop transaction and posted police
guards outside the offices till further investigation." said a senior
officer of the city police. sns
statesman news service
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?