TIRUPPUR: More than two-hundred knitwear workers in Tiruppur city who had planned to celebrate Deepavali with the money they had deposited in private chits are in a spot as the chit company owner vanished just ahead of the promised payment date. The police, however, intervened promptly and detained the owner on Saturday after the duped investors arrived en masse to file a complaint.
The duped knitwear workers alleged more than 200 people have been cheated of up to Rs 40 lakh which was mobilised for a Deepavali chit.
The cheated investors on Saturday requested the Tiruppur city police to take action against the chit company owner, S Durai. They filed a complaint at the Tiruppur North police station.
Police sources said the chit company named Mithran Mithra, based at Radha Nagar near MS Nagar in Tiruppur city, had been running the Deepavali chit for five years
This year more than 200 knitwear workers from Radha Nagar and nearby Bharathi Nagar area deposited money to him under the Deepavali chit.
The workers alleged that Durai vanished two days ago.
Mariammal, a knitwear worker of Bharathi Nagar, said, "I paid him on a weekly basis under the Deepavali chit. I have paid for a total of 50 weeks. We have to pay Rs 100 for 50 weeks per chit. I have paid him Rs 50,000 for 10 chits. Similarly, many people have paid him money for different chist. But he didn't give us the money a week before Deepavali as assured."
"We worked hard in the knitwear companies and paid him for the Deepavali chit. We thought it was a small savings that would help us celebrate Deepavali with our family. The police should take appropriate action against Durai and return our money," she added.
V Karmegam, a social activist, who led the public to file the police complaint, said, "More than 200 people were cheated of up to Rs 40 lakh in this scam. All the victims are knitwear workers. The police should take immediate action in this matter."
"We secured Durai following the complaint. He is being questioned," a police officer said.
