Jhapa, July 25:

Two financial institutions here have cheated over 2,000 customers.

The customers were cheated in the name of a sales promotion programme launched by Lakhanpur-based Basnet Grocery and a similar programme launched by Damak-based United Multipurpose Cooperatives.

“Proprietors of the organisations have gobbled up our funds and fled,” Mahendra Shrestha, a victim, said, adding, “I have deposited Rs 10,000 in United Cooperatives.” According to the Damak area police office, chairman of United Multipurpose Cooperatives, Ganesh Bista, has fled, gobbling up Rs 22 lakh deposited by 1,100 customers.

Proprietors of Basent Grocery, Shyam Adhikari and Gopal Bahadur Basnet of Lakhanpur VDC of Jhapa, have swindled Rs 10 lakh deposited by 1,600 customers.

“Forty-three persons of my villages, who had lent money to Basnet Grocery, lost their money,”

a victim, Dilip Chaudhari of Jhumka of Sunsari, said, adding that hundreds of people from Duhabi and Itahari of Sunsari, Kerabari of Morang, Damak of Jhapa and Dhankuta had not got their deposits back. “We have lodged a complaint against the cheaters at a local police station,” another victim RB Thapa said.