Udupi: Andhra Pradesh CID officials have begun verifying documents submitted by victims of the multi-crore-rupee AgriGold scam from Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts in Karnataka. The verification process has commenced at special bond verification centres set up at the Udupi Superintendent of Police’s office in Bannanje.However, confusion prevailed at the centre as hundreds of victims gathered, exceeding the prescribed number of token holders.
AgriGold, a company registered in Andhra Pradesh with its headquarters in Vijayawada, had opened 56 branches across Karnataka and appointed staff members and agents. The accused allegedly lured investors with promises of doubling their money, offering high interest rates and providing residential sites.The company reportedly collected ₹16,396,345,230 (approximately ₹1,639.63 crore) from 8,41,616 investors across Karnataka and cheated them.
The case was investigated by the CID departments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and is currently at the trial stage in court. Now, the Andhra Pradesh CID, in coordination with the Karnataka CID, has begun collecting documents from victims of the AgriGold scam. Special bond verification centres have been established at several police offices across the state.
A verification centre has been set up at the Udupi District Police Office to verify documents submitted by victims from Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. The verification schedule was fixed from October 27 to November 2.On October 27, tokens were issued to 150 victims, who were instructed to appear with their documents at the district police office on October 28.
According to an estimate, around 1.5 lakh people in Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts suffered losses due to AgriGold. After learning about the verification process, hundreds of victims arrived at the Udupi police office early in the morning, including people who had travelled from distant places. Women and elderly victims had also arrived from areas such as Dandeli and Harihar.Although the token system was intended to accommodate only 150 people for document submission, a much larger crowd gathered, creating a chaotic situation. Despite police appeals, the victims refused to leave and insisted on being issued tokens.,Later, Udupi Deputy Superintendent of Police Belliyappa arrived and explained the token allocation system to the victims.
“From tomorrow onwards, tokens will be issued according to taluks. Victims only need to arrive with their documents on the designated date. It will not be possible to complete the process if everyone arrives on the same day. We will verify everyone’s documents without excluding anyone, so there is no need for anyone to worry,” he appealed.Following the explanation, those who had received tokens left the premises, while the others returned home.
The police have announced a taluk-wise schedule for AgriGold bondholders from Hebri taluk:October 29: Bondholders from all villages in Hebri taluk.October 30: Bondholders from Muniyalu and surrounding villages.October 31: Bondholders from Ajekaru and surrounding villages.Tokens will be issued to only the first 150 customers arriving each day. Token distribution will begin at 8 a.m.
If customers are unable to appear in person due to disability, illness or other health-related issues, their agents or relatives must bring and submit the bonds on their behalf. Customers who are physically incapacitated, pregnant or suffering from medical conditions must ensure that they or their relatives produce the relevant medical certificates.November 1 will be a holiday. The police will announce by the evening of October 31 which taluk or district’s customers will be accommodated from November 2 onwards.
Customers from Hebri taluk who are unable to submit their documents during the three scheduled days will be informed of a subsequent date.The police have clarified that only customers from Hebri taluk will be allowed to visit the centre during these three days. Customers from other taluks should not come to the centre during this period.For further information, the public can contact the following numbers:Landline: 0820-2526444Mobile: 9480805400The police issued an official statement regarding the arrangements.
“We have already contacted the Andhra Pradesh police regarding the verification of AgriGold documents. Since Udupi district alone has more than 40,000 victims, we have requested an extension of the schedule beyond November 2. As only 150 people’s documents can be verified each day, customers will be organised according to taluks and called in accordingly. We have decided to allot two to three days for each taluk.”— Hariram Shankar, Superintendent of Police, Udupi
