247 cases of cheating against multilevel marketing companies

Mumbai, Apr 3 (UNI) Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Siddharam Mhetre today said 247 cases of cheating have been registered against multi-level marketing companies and 755 persons arrested so far.

Making a statement on a calling attention notice by Madhu Chavan (BJP) and others, Mr Mhetre said these companies had cheated over 17.59 lakh investors to the tune of over Rs 469 crore. Police have recovered an amount of over Rs 29 crore from them, he added.

He cautioned common investors against falling prey to the inducements by these companies.

Replying to another calling attention notice by Dhondiram Rathod (Congress) on the encroachment in the vicinity of former Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik's statue at Pathardi in Ahmednagar district, Minister of State for Urban Development Rajesh tope said the encroachment will be removed within a week. The statue was erected on civic land in 1976. He said action would be initiated against erring officials who had failed to prevent the encroachment.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman Vasant Davkhare directed the Government to decide, before the end of this session, on providing scholarship to OBC students studying in non-grant colleges.

Earlier, replying to the notice by Sudhakar Gangane (Congress), Minister of State for OBC Welfare Dharmarao Baba Atram said OBC students in government and grant colleges were getting the Centrally-sponsored scholarship since May 29, 2003.

Mr Davkhare said the notice has come up before the House for the fourth time and the Government should immediately decide on the same.

UNI JM MAZ AG1917