Chit fund company agent commits suicide in Bengal

An woman agent of a collective investment scheme company allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself Tuesday in West Bengal, months after the state was rocked by its biggest financial scam.

Manorama Haldar, 32, was found hanging from the ceiling of her house at Basuldanga of South 24 Parganas district, police said.

Initial investigation revealed Haldar was under pressure from depositors to return Rs.32 lakh she had raised from them for the CIS run by a firm, which was barred by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in May collecting money from the people.

Moreover, she had also deposited Rs.8 lakh from her own savings in the company which shut down its Diamond Harbour office.

The biggest financial scam unfolded in the state in April after the chit fund aided Saradha Group went bust, endangering the future of lakhs of depositors - most of them poor villagers - who had parked their life's savings hoping for returns much higher than market rates.

Saradha group chief Sudipta Senand several of his employees and key aides are behind bars in connection with the scam.

Following theGroup's collapse, the state has witnessed a spate of suicides by agents, operators and investors of the Saradha and other similar companies.