Chit fund probe panel extends date of receiving affidavits

The Justice M M Das Commission of Enquiry, probing the chit fund scam in Odisha for nearly three years now, on Thursday once again extended the date of receiving the affidavits from the small investors.

"The investors can now submit their affidavits by January 31, 2019," Justice Das said adding that any affidavit received after this date shall not be taken into consideration by the Commission.

Taking up the probe in February 2016 following the death of previous Commission chairman Justice R K Patra, the new Commission so far has submitted three interim reports to the state government.

In its third report submitted in July last year, the commission had reportedly identified 41,519 small investors (investing less than Rs 10,000) in at least 176 tainted companies, which have duped them.

Having got its sixth extension in July last year, the present term of the commission is going to end on February 4 this year. As it is unlikely that the commission will complete its probe by that date, sources said that the commission has already written to the state government seeking further extension of its term.

After completion its probe into the cases of small investors, the commission will take up the cases of large investors.