Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 27 Jul: Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar today raised serious questions on the government’s alleged role in trying to protect the accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case. He said that he would approach the High Court and demand a CBI or ED investigation.
Addressing a press conference in a hotel on Rajpur Road here, today, he targeted the Dhami government, asserting that, if the government protects the culprits, he would strongly oppose it.
Umesh Kumar said that the scam is linked to a company named Social Mutual Benefit Nidhi Limited. From 2017 to 2020, the wife of KS Panwar, who was the industrial advisor to former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, was a director in this company. Even now, some of her relatives are working as directors. He said that fake RD and FD accounts were made in the names of about 50,000 people.
He claimed that, in three years, more than Rs 200 crore was deposited in the company through fake accounts. During the investigation, it was found that some account holders were already dead or were small children aged 5–6 years. Many people whose names were used in the FD accounts didn’t even know about it.
MLA Umesh Kumar said that, when the issue was raised, the former CM’s advisor made his wife resign from the company. He said that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is now investigating the case, but there are attempts to suppress the probe and tamper with the evidence.
He warned the state government not to interfere in the investigation. He also thanked the CM for giving the case to EOW but expressed doubt that the investigation may be delayed. He said he would continue to demand a fair and complete investigation.
Umesh Kumar also spoke about the massive LUCC chit fund scam in Uttarakhand. He said that LUCC, a multi-state credit and thrift cooperative society, looted thousands of people. The company started in 2017 and promised to double the money and give more interest than banks. It collected crores of rupees from people, especially in Garhwal.
The scam came to light on 1 June 2024 when a girl from Kotdwar filed a complaint against LUCC’s manager and cashier for taking money on the promise of opening an account. After this, many complaints came forward. The police arrested several people, including the company’s state head. Lookout notices were also issued against Samir Agarwal (CMD), Uttam Singh, Girish Chandra Bisht, and Shabab Hussain.
This scam is considered the biggest financial fraud in Uttarakhand. People from remote villages and other states have been affected. Umesh Kumar demanded a CBI investigation in this case too. He said that many important documents and evidence related to the company are missing. He also said that people are being forced to give false statements under pressure.
