CBI jt director’s visit was a ‘courtesy call’; Odisha DGP

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Dec 22;

Making light of the visit of CBI joint director Ms Sumanbala Sahoo to the police headquarters, Odisha Director General of Police Sanjeev Marik today said it was a ‘courtesy call.’

‘She had come on a routine annual inspection visit. It was purely a courtesy call,’ Marik told media persons shortly after the meeting with Sahoo here.

Sahoo is the joint director, east zone, and has nothing to do with the SIT constituted by the CBI to probe the chit fund scam in the state, the DGP pointed out.

‘She had come to thank us for the cooperation we have extended in the ongoing investigation into the chit fund scam,’ he added.

The CBI joint director had met ADG, Crime Branch BK Sharma since the agency was investigating the case before the CBI took over under the orders of the Supreme Court, Marik said.

Asked about Pramod Panda, the DSP arrested by the CBI for his links with the chit fund scam, the DGP said the ‘official communication’ about the arrest was received from the central agency only today and necessary action was being initiated against the concerned officer.

‘We have been reading about his arrest in the media. But the official communication from the CBI in this regard came in the shape of a fax only today. Since he has been arrested and is on remand, departmental action would follow,’ he said.

There were, however, few takers for the DGP’s claim. ‘The joint director CBI can hardly be expected to take the trouble of travelling to Cuttack just to say ‘hello’  to the DGP,’ said a police official.

With the CBI having officially complained to the Odisha government about noncooperation in the probe, the DGP’s claim that Ms Sahoo thanked the head of the Odish police for its help and cooperation has to be taken with a bagful of salt.