HYDERABAD, Aug 30: More than 1,000 people are running from pillar to post to get the money they had deposited with two motorbike dealers.

Akbar Khan and Anzar-ul-Haq had launched a scheme in the interior Sindh, selling Hero CD-70 motorbikes, on an advance payment of Rs34,000 to Rs38,000.

The same motorbike was sold by the company to dealers for R42,000 for its sale in the market. The other offer to customers was that they were supposed to get a profit of Rs3,000 to Rs7,000 after every 15 days, if they had no interest in getting bikes.

The people considered the second offer more lucrative and deposited large sums of money, ranging from Rs100,00 to Rs10 million. They included government employees and businessmen.

"I invested money, obtained from acquisition of land under the Right Bank Out fall Drain and paid Rs304,000 for motorcycles," said Khuda Dino Shah, a resident of Petaro.

"I deposited money with the Anzar Laiba Autos for eight bikes worth Rs380,000," said a retired grade-2 officer of Habib Bank, who requested not to be named. Anzar ul Haq initially obtained motorbikes from the factory in the name of Adnan Autos in the Sarfraz colony which was later re-named as the Laiba Autos.

Akbar Khan was an authorized dealer of the manufacturers running his business in the name of Ahmed Autos in the Khokhar Mohallo. The factory management remained oblivious of the fact that their product was being sold at a reduced price in the market.

"When we come to know about the matter we suspended the dealerships of Adnan and Ahmed Autos in June this year and removed the boards of the Hero motorcycles displayed on different spots", said the general manager of the factory, Mohammad Ali.

The dealers closed business transactions with their clients in mid-July, saying their money had been blocked in Quetta. At a meeting, however, they promised to return the money soon with profit.

This was not done and finally showrooms and outlets in Nawabshah, Dadu, Digri and Mirpurkhas were closed. The police decided to hand over the investigation to the National Accountability Bureau as the Hyderabad police found it hard to investigate such a big fraud.

DPO A.D. Khawaja said the NAB decided to take up the case once it was formally lodged by the police. Anzar was picked up by some affected people for recovery of their money by hook or crook. He was handed over to the SHO cantonment police station.

Inquiries revealed that Akbar Khan was subsequently trapped by the police as Anzar made a phone call to him, requiring him to come to the Qasim chowk and give him money.

When he reached there he was detained. The Hyderabad Motorcycle Dealers Association is preparing a list of affected people in order to coordinate between people and police.

The general secretary of the association, Jameel Sheikh, said that the HMCA had so far calculated the amount of fraud at Rs152.9 million. On Sunday night, the city police lodged a case against Akbar Khan and Anzar-ul-Haq on the complaint of Mir Mohammad Naeem, a vegetable commission agent. The complainant said he had deposited Rs9 million for delivery of 240 motorbikes.