Case filed; locations raided, promoters under radar
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Dec 20: After the outcry over the alleged multi-crore scam of a private company promising to double the invested money, police registered a case today, kick-starting the investigation.
As per the details, taking cognizance of a complaint filed in this regard, the Cyber Police, Kashmir, has filed case FIR No 39/2023 under Sections 66D of the IT Act and 420 of the IPC against the operators of the company named ‘Curative Survey’.
“A case in this regard stands registered, and the investigation has been entrusted to an Inspector-rank officer,” the officials said.
The police also carried out raids at 5 different spots in connection with the case and the social media influencers who promoted the company in J&K, luring people to invest in the company as they are also under scrutiny.
A statement issued by the police said that the preliminary investigation revealed that the company exhorted the common public to register on its website and become a partner in surveys it was undertaking.
“In last few days the company allegedly stopped the due payment to persons registered with it, and its promoters and directors absconded and were not reachable by their staff and registered individuals,” police said, confirming that a case in this regard has been registered.
Police said that in the initial stages of the investigation, Cyber Police has frozen several identified accounts operated by the company.
“Searches were conducted at multiple locations and registered offices of the company, and the same stands sealed as well. During searches, incriminating materials including electronic devices and documents were seized.”
The police noted that the registered owner promoters of the company are being identified and being investigated. “The role of local office staff and persons promoting the schemes on social media is also being investigated.”
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, today said that the culprits behind the alleged scam will be brought to book while urging the people to remain cautious.
“The matter came to our notice yesterday. The police and other agencies are actively pursuing it, and the necessary technical inputs are being gathered in this regard,” he said.
He emphasized that when people come across such traps, they need to proceed with caution to ensure that they do not find themselves in such situations.
“People should proceed with caution in such instances. Who gets money doubled like this? Caution is the key because these people operate like that; they defraud and flee,” he said, adding that there is no shortcut to such kind of success.
It is to be noted here that the scam involving financial fraud surfaced in Srinagar earlier after investors alleged that they were duped of their hard-earned money by a private company based in Kashmir, promising them double the invested money along with daily earnings. The scammed amount is said to be Rs 59 cr. However, there has not been any official confirmation on that.
The social media influencers who were being accused of partying with the allegedly fraudulent company have, as the public outcry gained momentum, come out with their side of the story, stating that they followed the protocol-which involved checking the registration and other credentials of the company-before doing promotion.
“I stand with the people who have suffered losses, but I am, in no way, responsible for what happened; as an influencer, I did promote the company, but that was done after due procedure; my transactions are transparent; I have not invested in the company in any form,” said one of the social media influencers, Idrees Mir-at the center stage of the entire matter-during an interview.
Notably, the police have asked the people affected by the scam to share relevant information, if any, with the investigation agency, underlining that the investigation of the case is being done expeditiously.
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