Bengaluru chit scam: Kerala couple flees to Kenya after duping over 1000 investors

Kerala couple Tomy A and his wife Shini Tomy, residing in Bengaluru, who are accused of duping more than 1000 investors, have reportedly absconded to Kenya as per media reports. 

The Malayali couple accused of a  ₹100 crore chit fund scam have left for Kenya, informed the investigation team. "We have confirmed that they vacated their flat on July 3 and left for Kenya. From what we have understood, the couple has left, but we need to find out the whereabouts of their children," D Devaraja, DCP, East, Bengaluru city, told Onmanorama. 

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According to the police, the scam was exposed after one of the investors, PT Savio, who claimed to have lost  ₹70 lakh in the scheme, approached the officials at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station on July 5. Based on the complaint, a case under Chit Funds Act, relevant section of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance 2019, and sections 318 (cheating), 316 (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against Tomy A and his wife Shini Tomy, proprietors of A&A Chit Funds and Finance in Bengaluru's Ramamurthy Nagar. 

Following his complaint, several other investors also came forward after the firm's office was locked, and the couple were not reachable to respond to the queries. Most of the investors were Keralites. 

Luring people with a high rate of return, the couple launched the chit fund company in 2000. Police have reportedly received more than 400 complaints against the couple, and a manhunt has been launched to trace the accused. Officials added that the true scale of the fraud could be much larger. 

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