Chit fund scam: Datum Company MD, director taken on another 5-day remand

Berhampur: The Berhampur Police has taken Braja Sundar Patnaik, the managing director of Datum Marketing and his wife Tridhara on a five-day remand.

According to reports, Datum Marketing Company has allegedly duped nearly Rs 100 crore from depositors in Ganjam and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh through several lucrative schemes.

Both Braja Sundar and his wife were managing director and director of the chit fund company and were arrested from Bhubaneswar on November 6. Two cases were registered against the couple and some employees of the company in 2016 and May this year, police said.

Meanwhile, depositors duped by the ponzi firm are worried over getting back their money.
As the arrested MD claimed before media that the bonds as shown by people are 'forged' and he is being falsely implicated, several depositors have now sought help from Berhampur ASP Shantanu Das to get back their deposits.

“How depositors were getting monthly interest money if they had not deposited the amount with the company. The MD has been hoodwinking the innocent depositors by saying that the bonds are forged. The police should carry out a detailed investigation,” said Uma Badhi, a depositor.

Echoing similar views, another depositor, Sukanti Sahu said, “I have not received anything as I have linked the monthly installments with the recurring account with the chit fund company.”

The Berhampur ASP Shantanu Das on the other hand informed that a special team along with a legal expert has been formed to investigate the case.

“The investigation will take time as we are collecting information and proceeding as per the Odisha Protection of the Interests of the Depositors Act (OPID),” said Das.