Vijayawada: Attach properties of AgriGold directors to pay money to depositors'

Vijayawada: AgriGold customers and agents' Welfare Association has demanded the State government to immediately attach the properties of the directors, who purchased properties with benami names and repay the money of the customers, who had deposited below Rs 20,000 before March 31, 2021.

The association leaders questioned why the State government is not taking criminal action against some accused directors of the company for the mega fraud which involved Rs 6380 crore.

The association's honourary president Muppalla Nageswara Rao addressing media conference at the State CPI office on Monday said Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohann Reddy had assured that he would do justice to the victims of the AgriGold scam if the YSRCP was voted to power. As many as 19 months have passed since the YSRCP government came to power and a majority of victims still awaiting justice. He appealed to the Chief Minister to complete the Enforcement Directorate probe as early as possible in the mega fraud and take measures to repay the deposits.

He said a total of 19.52 lakh customers in Andhra Pradesh have to get Rs 3986 crore. Mupalla alleged that the AgriGold directors resorted to many irregularities and purchased properties in Dubai and other places with benami names. He said the chairman of the company Avva Venkata Ramarao claimed that the company owns properties of Rs 22,000 crore and questioned why the State government is not completing the probe as early as possible and punish all the guilty.

He said the AgriGold company collected thousands of crores of rupees from the gullible people and did not pay the deposits and matured amounts. Rs 264 crore was allotted to repay to the customers who had deposited less than Rs 10,000 in November 2019 but many customers have not received their deposits.

Association general secretary V Tirupati Rao warned that the association will launch agitation again for justice, if the government delays payment of deposited amount to the customers. He said the State government issued GO for payment of Rs 1150 crore to the depositors on October 25, 2019 and so far paid Rs 246 crore only.

He claimed that the government is planning to pay another Rs 200 crore. Association deputy general secretary B V Chandrasekhar requested the government to pay Rs 3986 crore to the depositors in Andhra Pradesh. He recalled that 380 AgriGold customers and agents either committed suicide or faced unnatural death awaiting justice in the State and appealed to the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to do justice.

Association leaders Korada Rambabu and Shaik Sharif participated in the press meet.