Bhat Yasir
In a shocking turn of events, thousands of subscribers, including students, pensioners, and housewives in the Kashmir Valley, are outraged over an alleged scam perpetrated by the Chennai-based “Curative Survey” company.
Victims who spoke to The Kashmiriyat said they were duped after investing their hard-earned money in anticipation of promised returns.
Residents like Shahid Wani from Sopore expressed dismay, recounting how they opened multiple accounts and earned money through surveys, only to have payments suddenly halted without explanation.
The company, which had offices in various districts of the valley, disappeared just before the scheduled payouts, leaving an estimated 59 crores unaccounted for.
Not just Shahid, who were the subscribers, employees of the company including their female staff have been duped by the company, whose employees are now untraceable in Jammu Kashmir.
“We have been trying to call them constantly, however, they have disappeared. Our branch heads from all districts are getting calls and people are being abused. We haven’t even received our salaries for the last many months,” said an employee.
Delving details of the modus operandi of the scam to The Kashmiriyat, he said that the employees of the company made outbound calls to people and promising them to pay them 3000 per month for a period of fifteen months. “They offered various plans and for this basic plan, the subscribers has to deposit 5000 rupees at the start and complete some surveys after which they were paid 3000 per month, however, this was just the start of a larger game.”
This was just to lure the subscribers to deposit more money, he said. “Through us, they called the customers frequently to increase their investment which will lead to heightened profit, hundreds of people throughout Kashmir deposited money and then one fine day, the management of the office had shut their main office in Srinagar and they were nowhere to be found,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
Many “youtubers” and “Instagram influencers” are also being targetted for promoting the brand in Kashmir and in Jammu.
One subscriber, Ali Hamza, a student from Budgam, revealed how he and classmates fell victim to the scam, investing their pocket money based on the recommendation of an individual named Idrees Mir, who promoted Curative Survey as a legitimate opportunity for students and elders.
The Kashmiriyat tried to contact the company via provided phone numbers but it proved futile.
A cyber police case has been filed to delve into the matter and uncover the truth behind the disappearing act of Curative Survey.
The cyber Police has swing into action and recovered more than one crore so far, said an official.