Chit fund scam: Police file challan on final day

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 23

Much to the relief of the Crown Chit Fund Sangharsh Committee, the police today filed a challan against four arrested accused of the Crown Cooperative Society on the last day of the 90-day period of filing the challan.

The company managers are accused of duping thousands of investors of about Rs10,000 crore.

The police had almost missed the deadline to submit the challan against the accused — Harjit Singh, Inderjit Singh Khanna, Amandeep Singh Papra and Paramjit Singh. The DIG, GS Sandhu, had to issue an order to the crime wing police station on April 19 to file the challan immediately. His order said the non-submission of the challan would benefit the accused.

The challan running into several pages had to be submitted before a Duty Magistrate today only – though it being a holiday. The police reportedly spent the entire last night in preparing the challan before submitting it today morning.

The committee’s two-year struggle, suicide by a couple of investors and a series on the scam by The Tribune forced the police to act against the accused from December 2016.

It is alleged that a group of 15 persons in the top management of the company were responsible for duping the investors.

Sangharsh Committee president Maninder Singh and general secretary Jai Kumar said the submission of the challan had given them some relief, but the most-wanted accused were still at large. “The main accused, including the top directors, have fled the country and others are trying to do so. They have even given an illegal power of attorney to others for running the company. An accused cannot do this, but no action has been taken,” they said.