The money of millions of investors across the country has been stuck in Sahara's investment schemes for years. The government launched a special portal in July this year. This will enable Sahara investors to recover their trapped funds. Following a Supreme Court order, the central government has initiated the refund process for depositors of four Sahara Group cooperative societies. This will provide relief to millions of investors who have been eagerly awaiting their hard-earned money for years.

Sahara is accused of illegally collecting over ₹24,000 crore from investors and not returning it. These companies and their owner, Subrata Roy, have been accused of running a Ponzi scheme and money laundering. In September, the central government reported that approximately 54.3 million investors had claimed ₹113,504.124 crore. Of these, 2625,090 actual depositors had been refunded a total of ₹5053.01 crore.

Who will receive the refund?
According to one estimate, approximately 3.2 million investors may file claims by December 2026. In August 2012, the Supreme Court directed Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Limited and Sahara Housing India Corporation Limited to refund investors' money. Following this, a SEBI-Sahara escrow account was created from which payments have been made to date.

Investors who invested in Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Limited (Lucknow), Saharayan Universal Multipurpose Society Limited (Lucknow), Hamara India Credit Cooperative Society Limited (Kolkata), and Stars Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited will now receive refunds. Investors in these societies can now claim their refunds online without visiting any office.

What is the Refund Portal?
The CRCS (Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies) Sahara Refund Portal is a government website designed to simplify the refund process for Sahara investors. Through this portal, depositors can directly receive their money back, without the need for any intermediaries. It is a secure and transparent process. Many investors have already successfully received their refunds through this portal. Importantly, if an investor has invested in all four societies, they can claim all of them by filling out a single form.

Easy way to get a refund
Depositors can initiate the refund process by visiting the CRCS Sahara Refund Portal. It's very simple:
1. First, click on 'Registration' on the portal's homepage.
2. Enter your Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to it.
3. Fill in the captcha and click on Get OTP.
4. Verify the OTP received on your mobile.
5. After registration, go to 'Depositor Login'.
6. Verify the OTP, and your information will automatically appear.
7. Then, fill out the 'Claim Form'. In this, select your committee, give details of the amount deposited and fill in information like passbook or certificate number.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Navbharat Times. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.