Tumakuru Police Probe Rs 6 Crore SLV Mahila Mart Investment Scam

Tumakuru police have launched an investigation into an alleged investment scam involving a firm named SLV Mahila Mart, where victims have reportedly lost at least Rs 6 crore. The fraudulent scheme operated in Tumakuru and its nearby localities under the guise of a business opportunity.

According to police officials, SLV Mahila Mart promoted itself as a women-led retail supermarket franchise that offered a work-from-home packing business. Through this model, the firm successfully collected investments from more than 100 victims across the Tumakuru region.

A senior police officer disclosed that the firm attracted depositors by offering a highly lucrative incentive structure. In addition to providing the work-from-home facility, SLV Mahila Mart promised investors a monthly return of Rs 26,000 for every Rs 1 lakh they deposited into the scheme.

The scale of the scam began to unfold as victims started approaching the authorities. By Tuesday, 48 victims had filed formal complaints with the police. An investigating officer stated that the scam expanded rapidly because some of the initial victims, believing the scheme to be legitimate, actively encouraged their own friends and relatives to invest in the franchise.

The fraudulent activities of SLV Mahila Mart are not limited to Tumakuru. Hundreds of additional victims from Haveri, located in North Karnataka, have also filed similar police complaints against the firm and its office-bearers.

These complainants in Haveri have accused SLV Mahila Mart of duping them of their principal investment money as well as promised commissions. Haveri police have estimated the scale of the racket in their district to be between Rs 6 crore and Rs 8 crore.