Small scrap dealers cry foul over fraud on-line survey scheme in Chhattisgarh

Abid Ali, a small scrap dealer in the state capital of Chhattisgarh, had never invested in his life. But the offer of handsome return by investing in Speak Asia, an on-line survey scheme, allured him to take a chance.

In his thirties, Ali—who owns a metal scrap shop in Pandri area of Chhattisgarh capital—paid Rs 11,000 as an enrollment fee to his agent about two months ago. In return, he got three installments of Rs 4000 each and managed to cover up the investment he had made.

“I don’t know to operate computer and it is my agent how managed the things for me like responding to the survey,” Ali said. His agent is however missing; not picking up the mobile after Speak Asia hogged the headlines for all wrong reasons.

Ali in not the only from the scrap trade to have had invested in the company. “Majority of small scrap dealers in the city had invested after the agents approached,” he said, adding that probably the scrap dealers and middle class people were the potential target of the company.

Most of the scrap dealers from Moudhapara and Baijnathpara, the biggest centre of scrap deal in the state capital, had invested in the company. “Normally, scrap dealers avoid such investment but I too could not resist when the Speak Asia agents informed about the returns,” Ali said.

According to experts in the market, scrap dealers in the state capital of Chhattisgarh had invested about Rs 10 crore in Speak Asia. In all, about Rs 200 crore had been invest in the company from the state, they added.

“Since police have not received any complaint, we cannot take direct action against the company in which people across the country have invested,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Raipur, Deepanshu Kaabra said. They are however keeping a close watch on the development related to the company, he added.