VIJAYAWADA: Nearly 300 people from four mandals in West Godavari district’s Tanuku region thronged the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday, hoping to recover their money allegedly lost in a Rs 42 crore chit fund fraud.
The victims arrived in buses and vans at their own expense, carrying payment receipts and passbooks issued by the company.
The rush followed assurances from police that the accused father and son were willing to repay the money collected from them through chit funds.
However, when their anticipatory bail petition came up for hearing in the afternoon, the accused informed the court that they were withdrawing it.
The court permitted the withdrawal. Subsequently, the victims surrounded the accused’s car as they attempted to leave the High Court premises, leading to tense scenes. Police eventually escorted them to the Tulluru police station after dispersing the crowd with difficulty.
The accused, Goli Srinivasa Rao and his son Goli Bhavani Shankar of Tanuku, allegedly operated Sri Durga Bhavani Chits and Finance.