In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, yet another major investment scam has come to light, with a trio of relatives accused of cheating ordinary citizens out of crores of rupees. The scandal centers around Amar Jyoti Rohilkhand Nidhi Limited, a company that allegedly lured people with promises of high returns. On Sunday, hundreds of angry investors, including many women, gathered in protest. They first confronted the accused at their homes and later marched to the police station, where chaos continued for nearly two hours as they demanded immediate action.
Reports suggest that the company had already pulled off a similar fraud in Badaun, where its directors vanished after siphoning off crores belonging to hundreds of investors. Its sister concern, Amar Jyoti Rohilkhand Nidhi Limited in Bareilly, appears to have repeated the same scheme. The main accused, Suryakant Maurya and his brother Shashikant Maurya, have been missing for months. Police have announced a reward of Rs 50,000 each for their arrest. Their nephew, Anoop Maurya, who lives in Bagh Brigattan, is also under investigation and had reportedly been in hiding.
On Sunday, news spread that Anoop had returned home. Furious investors immediately gathered outside his house, and when his family locked themselves inside a room, the crowd grew even more agitated. The mob then went straight to the police station, insisting that a formal complaint be filed.
Women investors recounted that Anoop regularly visited different neighbourhoods, convincing people to invest by promising that their money would be doubled. Krishna Maurya, one of the victims, said nearly 150 people in her area alone had deposited large sums, trusting Anoop’s assurances, only to see the company’s directors disappear overnight. Another investor, Vikas Verma, claimed he had given Anoop three lakh rupees and was later threatened by Anoop’s family when he asked for repayment. The crowd also alleged that Anoop recently constructed a lavish house worth around one crore rupees and demanded that he sell it to repay the investors.
As tensions rose, the police rescued Anoop from the angry crowd and brought him, along with his mother Geeta Devi and wife Manorama, to the police station. Anoop told officers that he merely collected funds on behalf of his uncles, Suryakant and Shashikant, and after deducting a small commission, handed them the rest. He claimed that his uncles had disappeared with not only the investors’ money but also his own. His mother stated that the family had been living in fear for days, with large groups regularly gathering outside their home, and insisted they had no contact with the absconding brothers.
