Kolkata: ED arrests father-son duo in Rs 2,800-cr chit fund 'scam' case

PTI, NEW DELHI, NOV 29: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has arrested a father-son duo in Kolkata in an alleged Rs 2,800 crore worth chit fund scam linked to a money laundering case. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court sent Basudeb Bagchi and his son Avik Bagchi, promoters of Prayag Group of companies, to ten days of ED custody, it said in a statement. The premises of the two and some others in Kolkata and Mumbai were raided by the ED on November 26.

The two are accused of "defrauding" the public by collecting deposits worth Rs 2,800 crore under "false" high-return schemes like monthly income schemes (MIS), redeemable preference shares, and club membership certificates. As of now, the ED said, Rs 1,900 crore remains "unpaid" to investors.

The Prayag Group of companies operated "illegally" without necessary authorisations from regulatory bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), affecting lakhs of investors across multiple states. The agency said funds collected from the investors were "layered" by the promoters by incorporating multiple entities, which were subsequently used for buying various properties.

"The ED will interrogate the accused to uncover the properties acquired using the defrauded funds. This action is part of the ED's efforts to trace and recover assets linked to the scam, aiming for restitution of the money to rightful investors and victims," it said.