Must nab those thrashing complainants soon

Accused Kishore Kakde, who floated the Ponzi schemes

Hours after a man who was allegedly duped by a Borivli-based Ponzi firm spoke to the media, he claimed he was thrashed by the company's bouncers.

With at least 25,000 investors cheated, this firm seemed to have made a neat profit from ill-gotten gains. Yet, after somebody spoke out, he was targeted by these men, abused and beaten. The scam itself seems to be absolutely huge, but the fallout of complaining is the focus of this edit.

Those who waylaid and abused the complainant must be swiftly nabbed by the cops. We have to create a climate of confidence for those who have the courage to point out any wrongdoing.

Otherwise we will have people stewing in silence or waiting for somebody else, and who that else may be nobody knows, to speak out so that they do not have to take the rap or reprisal for complaining.

This is applicable in all situations, from cheating to other crimes too. We cannot let an atmosphere of fear and intimidation rule, making ordinary people suffer because they are not encouraged or do not have the courage to go to the cops. If they witness complainants having to ‘pay' for speaking out, that sets an unfortunate precedent and wrongs prosper in a climate of terror and ‘revenge' by those who are called out, or the criminal cohorts.

Today, people are being pushed into speaking out, exposing cons, and there is some awareness about justice. Yet, when we hear of such events, we are back into a shell of silence which is exactly what schemers want.

In fact, they even set an ‘example' through beating up a complainant, as the message given is that this is a price for going against us. Let us ensure coercive action against these criminals and actually embolden the victims to speak and live free of the shadow of retribution.