VADODARA: Vadodara police busted a racket being run by an Ahmedabad-based foundation which was collecting money from women in central Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in exchange for aid.
A case of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and under the Gujarat Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act was registered at Makarpura police station. The foundation’s secretary Deepaksinh Rajput and a manager Ramji Rathod were arrested by the prevention of crime branch (PCB) on Saturday. Another manager Bharat Soni is on run.
Police investigation revealed that they had collected Rs 42.5 crore from 2.5 lakh women.
According to police, the trio operated Unity Foundation, asn NGO, which collected Rs 1,700 as deposit from the individuals who they lured with interest-free aid up to Rs 1 lakh in a phased manner. The aid was promised for women to start cottage industries or for their children’s education.
They frauds also had appointed 32 agents and 431 sub-agents to collect the money from women. The agents too were promised commission on every deposit they would bring.
“Their targets were women from a humble background in villages and small towns of Vadodara, Panchmahal, Dahod, Ahmedabad and parts of Rajasthan and MP. The money collected used to go to the higher-ups through the chain of agents,” said inspector R C Kanamiya of PCB.
The foundation collected money from women until the lockdown came into effect. But after the lockdown was lifted no aids were given to anyone. “When the depositors used to inquire with their agents they would be sent to an agent above the sub-agent and so on,” Kanamiya added. An agent living in Tarsali whose wife had lost money approached the police commissioner on November 8.
During interrogation, police learnt that Rajput is a history sheeter and was booked at Paldi police station in connection with a cheating case and later sent to Rajkot jail under Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act. After coming out of jail, he started the foundation around 18 months back.