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Multi level marketing firm Gold Quest/QuestNet, which is now in the dock in Chennai, is also wanted for duping thousands of people in Hyderabad.

The victims include police personnel, film industry workers and employees of IT companies.

It is alleged that the firm collected crores of rupees by giving gold coins or medallions to people and assuring them more money if they recruited more people.

Following the raids and arrests in Chennai, most of the Gold Quest offices in the city remained closed on Tuesday.

Chennai police on Saturday raided the offices of the company and arrested seven of its employees for cheating.

Police said film actor Chandramohan’s wife Jalandhara was the key member in the Gold Quest network and her office is situated in Himayatnagar.

“This is false propaganda against Gold Quest which is active in 180 countries.

There is no cheating and nobody suffered any loss,” reiterated Chandramohan while talking to reporters.

Meanwhile, members of the scheme thronged the offices of Gold Quest in Surya Towers in front of Parade Ground and other branches in Himayatnagar and Punjagutta.

“We were asked to pay Rs 30,000 initially and Rs 450 as registration,” said Ms Jyotsna, a member of the scheme. “They gave me a gold coin worth Rs 5,000.

But I got nothing else though I was promised more.” The CID had booked two separate cases against Gold Quest Company in 2007 in Vijayawada and the accused were arrested.

“Such multi-level marketing companies are dangerous and affect mostly those on the lower rungs,” said the former CID Superintendent of Police, Mr V.C. Sajjanar. “They are widely active in Vijayawada, Krishna and Hyderabad.” However, Gold Quest, the parent company of the MLM firm QuestNet based in Hong Kong, has been saying its operations are legitimate, though there is a ban on the firm Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In 2003, cases were booked against the company in Chennai. Thousands of people, especially from middle-class families are falling prey to multi-level marketing schemes.