A complaint was lodged with the Vadaj police station on Wednesday after a man was duped of Rs 17.2 lakh by four persons in a Ponzi scheme. As per the victim, the accused had promised to give triple returns for his investment and duped him. The police suspect that around 5,000 investors from Ahmedabad alone are involved in the scheme, while there are many more from other states. They suspect that it will turn out to be a scam to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore. According to the police, Rajesh Pawar, a resident of Narol, had invested money in a fixed deposit scheme of the company KIM Infrastructure and Development located at Ashram Road area of the city. In 2011, Pawar got his money back with the return promised by the company. In 2011, he again invested the money which was returned by the company to make more profit. In November 2018, when he went to collect his money, he found out that the office of the company was locked and nobody was picking up his calls. Regarding the matter, a complaint was lodged with the Vadaj police station and they are further investigating the matter. Similarly, Viren Shah, one of the other investors, lost Rs 14 crore which he had invested in the same company. Some of the agents working for the company had also given application to the police. According to the police, the company has operated in 142 branches located across the entire country. While the company was earlier based in Punjab, it was later shifted to Chandigarh and right now, it is in Delhi. The company's name is changed and it is moved to a different location by the accused every time they dupe people. Cases have been lodged against the company in Bhavnagar, Chattisgarh, Ahmedabad, Delhi, as well as other places. Police suspect that lakhs of people have been duped by the accused. Inspector J A Rathva of Vadaj police station said, "We have gotten a single complaint right now, but there are agents who had come to the police station in the matter alleging about the scam. We suspect that more than 5,000 people have invested in the company. Further investigation is on." TENTACLES OF CRIME

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