BSNL society scam victims in Kerala demand speedy probe
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Victims of the BSNL Engineers Cooperative Society scam have demanded a speedy investigation by the Crime branch into the case related to the swindling of `260 crore of the depositors’ money.
The government had initiated the move to reclaim properties from the culprits by invoking the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act. However, victims alleged the district collectors of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam were soft pedalling the process. “It’s been a year, and approximately nine acres in Thiruvananthapuram and around 56 properties in Kollam are yet to be seized,” said a victim, in case of anonymity. Since the inquiry is incomplete, the chargesheet has also been delayed.
The victims accused the Crime Branch and the government of not taking any steps to obtain information from the court regarding the status of properties recovered.
According to the victims, despite numerous individuals being affected, the case has not garnered the attention it deserves, compared to the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank scam and is often ignored by officials. While the Enforcement Directorate has stepped into the case, victims say that a comprehensive investigation is yet to begin.
The victims alleged that there was delay in the investigation as the main culprits were politically influential people.
The Crime Branch had arrested the society president A R Gopinathan and clerk Rajeev in the case of fund misappropriation of about `260 crore in December 2023.