PACL Refund: Over 2.08 Million Investors Paid Rs1,021.81 Crore, Says SEBI
Moneylife Digital Team 19 February 2024
As many as over 2.08mn (million) investors of PACL Ltd, with a claim of up to Rs19,000, have been paid over Rs1,021 crore, says market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
 
The justice RM Lodha committee is supervising the Supreme Court (SC)-ordered process of selling PACL's assets across the country and refunding Rs49,100 crore collected from over 55mn investors.
 
"As of 15 February 2024, the Committee has successfully effected refunds in respect of a total number of 20,84,635 eligible applications with outstanding (principal) amount up to Rs19,000 aggregating to Rs1021.84 crore," SEBI says.
 
In September last year, the committee had called for original PACL certificates from eligible investors with a principal outstanding between Rs17,001 and Rs19,000. 
 
In February 2023, considering the difficulties faced by investors in submitting original certificates, the Lodha committee decided to pay the outstanding for eligible applicants identified after verification. Accordingly, it paid Rs85.68 crore to 114,933 eligible applicants whose principal outstanding from PACL was between Rs15,000 and Rs17,000.
 
SEBI's investigations had earlier revealed that PACL, which had raised money from the public in the name of agriculture and real estate businesses, collected more than Rs60,000 crore through illegal collective investment schemes (CISs) over 18 years. Moneylife had extensively reported on the PACL scam and you can read it here.
 
In February 2019, the committee headed by retired justice Lodha had initiated the process of refunds in phases for investors who had invested in PACL. PACL (or Pearls) is one of India's largest Ponzi schemes, which had been allowed to run for decades amassing over Rs60,000 crore. The committee had asked PACL investors to submit online applications for a refund. 
 
The mobilisation of funds by PACL goes back to before 1997. On receipt of a complaint, SEBI, on 30 November 1999 and 10 December 1999, issued letters asking PACL to comply with the provisions of the collective investment scheme (CIS) regulations.
 
In September 2018, the enforcement directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet against PACL and its chief Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, concerning a Ponzi scam involving over Rs49,100 crore, which was collected allegedly by two companies from millions of investors. The ED, which started the probe after lodging a first information report (FIR) in 2015 based on the central bureau of investigation (CBI)'s case, had, in January 2018, attached Australia-based assets of the Pearls group and Mr Bhangoo worth Rs472 crore. 
 
Mr Bhangoo, his companies PACL and Pearls Golden Forest Ltd (PGFL), as well as several thousands of his commission agents, were accused of cheating 55mn investors on the pretext of the sale and development of agricultural land.
 
The companies made false allotments of land to investors. However, the companies never owned any land in their own name.
 
Mr Bhangoo and his companies promised the investors that allotment would be done on their investment between 90 and 270 days and, if not, handsome returns would be paid.
Comments
vinodlande700
4 months ago
Please Return all payments of every investor in PACL Com. on his Aadhar No ????? ??? ?????????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?? ,????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ???????.
vaibhavdhoka
12 months ago
Neesa Leisure Ltd collected short term FD'd and after collecting more than 1000 crores IBC now more than 9 years on no sign of refund.FD holders were contacted by a person to represent and all FD holders paid?1000,just adding salt to agony.
bennystephan
12 months ago
I invested 8 thousand rupees for almost 6 years since 2009 and my policy was about to mature in 2014, my investment for 6 years was 6 Lakhs and was supposed to receive 10 Lakhs, all my hard earned money gone when sebi and Supreme Court shutdown Pacl. It’s been 10 years and they are still returning 19000 rupees. What an Impressive job, huge milestone achieved by sebi led by RM Lodha. Well you don’t need robbers when regulators and government steal and put up act of hard work and fool people in India. This is what makes Bharat Mahan.
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