Police have arrested the absconding director couple of dubious chit fund company Datum from Bhubaneswar who allegedly duped crores of rupees from gullible depositors and went absconding, SP Pinak Mishra said at a Press meet here.
The accused were identified as company managing director Braja Mohan Patnaik and his wife and one of the company’s directors Tridhara Mohanty.
Police tracked their phone calls and arrested them from an undisclosed location in Bhubaneswar. They were produced in court Tuesday and were remanded to judicial custody after the court rejected their bail pleas.
Coming to know of their arrest, hundreds of duped depositors thronged the Golanthara police station and demanded their money back. They were pacified by police, who assured them that their money would be returned after the remand period is over.
The couple would be taken on five days remand for interrogation on the firm's financial details, movable and immovable assets and the amount of money it had collected from depositors, the SP said.
The police will also gather details about the names of agents and associates involved in the illegal assets held by the firm.
Action would be taken against the couple on the basis of the directives of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch. Around 1,558 depositors have deposited Rs 50 crore in the firm, he said.
Police said Patnaik started his career by opening a grocery shop at Brahamapur and later launched a scheme of gift coupons promising attractive incentives to customers.
Soon membership grew and he registered his firm under the 1956 Companies Act, and opened a chit fund firm 'Datum' at Gundicha Nagar near Kanishi in 2006.
Patnaik lured people from the State and outside promising to double their money through deposit schemes.
He promised to pay maturity value to depositors in 2.7 years and three years and 11 months.
As per the SP's directions, a special squad comprising ASP Santanu Das, Sadar SDPO Ashok Kumar Mohanty, DIB DSP Ajay Kumar Mishra and Golanthara IIC Alok Jena was set up to track down Patnaik and his wife and arrest them.