Social media platforms are brimming with news about Sidra Humaid, a Karachi based woman accused of stealing Rs.420 million through committee system.
Social media users mostly have sympathy for Sidra’s victims, who are contemplating serious action against her.
Sidra also publicly confessed of messing up the committees, writing on Facebook, “I have really messed up my committees and now I am practically bankrupt and have no means to pay off my committees.”
How did she do it?
According to estimates computed by her victims, Sidra reportedly managed 117 WhatsApp groups with hundreds of members for the purpose of collecting money in ‘committees’. She allegedly received the first committee from the money pooled in each group.
One Facebook user wrote, ” A women named Sidra Humaid was handling over 100 committees 42 crore is the total amount. And she has announced she is bankrupt Cause people backed out after taking their first slots. She is not providing any details any legal document or any trail that proves where the money went. She took first slots in so many of the cycles.”
Committees are also known as Group Savings. A group of people come together and deposit a fixed amount each month into a common fund for a pre-determined period of time. Each member accesses the pool in a month, decided amongst the group members.
On Tuesday, Sidra moved an application before the additional sessions Judge-X (East) under Sections 22-A and 22-B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), seeking directives to the police to provide her protection from citizens who have accused her of robbing them in the name of the committees.
Here is how Twitter is reacting to the scam and their experience of committee system and discussing whether they are a good idea.
