By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 29, 2016 : Odisha government has filed 597 cases against illegal non-banking financial entities for cheating people under various false promises of higher returns while 799 people have been arrested so far, official sources said here.

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the state has filed a total of 597 cases up to March this year and charge sheets have been submitted against 384 major cases, they said. The EOW has moved various designated courts for confiscation of the properties of 21 chit fund companies.

By now, the designated courts have ordered for confiscation of the properties of eight companies – Rose Valley Group of Companies, Golden Land Developer Companies, Green Ray International Ltd., Astha Group of Companies, Safex Group of Companies, Nabajyoti Realty India Ltd., Sastra Enterprises Pvt Ltd. and Sai Pragati Assets & Properties Pvt Ltd.

Markets regulator SEBI has also passed orders against 21 companies involved in illegal fund mobilization in the Odisha, sources said.

The matter came up at the State Level Coordination Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi on Saturday. Padhi directed police to keep strict vigil on the illegal non-banking financial entities cheating people by luring them under various false promises of higher returns.

Taking stock of the situation, Padhi said that police should take proactive action in this matter without waiting for lodging of any complain or FIR by anybody.

Development Commissioner and finance secretary, R. Balakrishnan said that all types of surrogate advertisements made by these companies should be restricted and the authorities giving permission for advertisement boards should make a preliminary screening of the message being projected.

It was also decided in the meeting that intensive awareness campaign would be taken up in rural and urban areas to make people aware about the false promises and disguised activities of such companies.

The information and intelligence received from various quarters regarding duping activities of some companies and multi-state cooperative societies were discussed in the meeting and chief secretary directed the root of such companies be traced through inter-state coordination.