Ahmedabad: Tension prevailed at a data centre facility run by a private operator in the domestic area of GIFT City after many investors gathered to protest alleged cheating in an investment scheme. Police were deployed to control the situation after a crowd assembled outside the office seeking clarity on their investments.According to Dabhoda police, thousands of investors have alleged they were lured into a scheme that promised monthly returns. Preliminary claims suggest that around 33,000 people may have been affected. While a few investors alleged that the total amount involved could run into several crores, officials said the exact figure was yet to be determined. Dabhoda police inspector Anil Chauhan said the investors have submitted an application, but a formal complaint is yet to be registered. “The exact amount of the cheating is not ascertained yet. Around 33,000 people have claimed they were cheated. The facility had been operating from the premises for nearly three months, and the dispute surfaced over the past month,” he said, adding that it may take one to two months to verify the allegations before registering an FIR. Police said the scheme allegedly involved investing in digital or data storage-related assets, with promises of fixed monthly returns. Investors claimed that initial payouts were made, which encouraged them to invest larger sums. However, payments reportedly stopped in recent weeks, following which attempts to contact those running the operation failed. As word spread, investors began arriving at the office in large numbers, leading to chaos at the site. Many alleged that they had invested their entire savings, borrowed funds or liquidated assets to participate in the scheme. Gandhinagar SP Ravi Teja Vasamsetty said he was not aware of the details behind the ruckus.
