A court issued notices to seven alleged victims of a Rs420 million Ponzi scheme scam involving a social media influencer Sidra Humaid aka Sidra Khalil.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Faiza Khalil directed Sehrish Khan, Samina Shah, Tabinda Hamza, Ghunwa Memon, Romana Memon, Mozzama and Aneela Farooq to turn up before the court to submit their comments on an application filed by Sidra seeking action against them for allegedly harassing her to demand the money they had invested in the monthly ballot committee system, commonly known as BC.
Sidra had last week moved the court seeking directions for the SSP (complaint cell) and the Sharea Faisal SHO to provide her protection and lodge a case against the seven women for allegedly harassing her.
The applicant was called absent as the case came up for hearing on Wednesday. The judge issued notices to the women named as proposed accused in the application to appear before the court on the next date to submit their responses. The hearing was adjourned until Jan 4.
Sidra Humaid through her lawyer Kamran Alam stated that she had been accused of being involved in an online financial scam though she neither sold any product nor used any advertisement on any online platform.
She said she was collecting money from different people, pooling it and then returning it to the members on their turn. She added that she had just made an announcement on social media asking investors to not panic as their money would be returned in the coming months.
The lawyer argued that such an announcement didn’t constitute any online fraud. He said her client was ready to return the money to every investor, but many people with fake claims also materialised to claim the money from her despite the fact that she didn’t owe anything to them.
The applicant said that she submitted applications with the SSP (complaint cell) and the Sharea Faisal SHO, seeking protection and registration of a criminal intimidation case against the accused persons, but they didn’t entertain her request. The court was pleaded to direct the police officials to provide her protection.
