Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Jul 1: Agri Gold branch office here witnessed much chaos on Monday June 30 as scores of investors barged in and demanded the money they had deposited in its scheme.
The protestors said that the firm had collected money from them promising high returns, but had not paid them since December 2013. Every time they demanded their money back, they would be sent back with new assurances, they said.
It is alleged that Agri Gold Constructions, a company based in Andhra Pradesh, collected deposits worths lacs of rupees from hundreds of investors, mostly from low-income families, promising them of high returns. However, since December last, the company has not paid them, they claimed.
The protestors alleged that the firm had duped them and snatched away their hard-earned money, and warned of intensifying their protest if appropriate steps were not taken to rectify the situation.
One of the customers said that she and her cousin were supposed to get Rs one lac from the firm, but even after making several rounds of the office, they have not been given the money. "When we came in May, they assured us that by June 30 they would clear the dues. But today we are again told the same old story and asked to come next month," she said.
The staff at the firm, responding to the protestors, said that the firm was unable to pay their money due to the Telangana issue, as the funds were not cleared by the head office in Andhra. They assured to pay the pending dues with 10 percent interest by July end, adding that there was no reason to panic as their deposits were 'safe'. Expressing their helplessness, the staff said that unless funds are received from the head office, they cannot do anything.