CBI to probe role of Odisha police in chit fund scam

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 20:

The CBI will probe the role of Odisha police in the mega chit fund scam.

The Central agency, in the course of its investigation into the mega chit fund scam in the state, has found clear evidence of the cursory investigation by the state police to provide protection to influential persons and political leaders involved in the scam.

As per information shared by a CBI official, the owner of Artha Tatwa (AT) Group had kept some of the senior officials of the commissionerate police in good humour with costly presents.

“We have specific information that political leaders having close nexus with the AT Group had also pressurized the police to investigate the case perfunctorily,” he said.

The CBI got the evidence on the role of the commissionerate police two days ago during its raid on the office of the AT Group in the state capital. The police have already filed a charge sheet, which meant its investigation into the AT Group affair was over.

The CBI team was surprised how the police could frame the charge sheet without conducting a raid on the company premises.

“We have found ample evidence on the involvement of top political leaders and influential persons with the AT Group. During our raid, it was clear that the police had not raided the chit fund company office as all its records were found intact in the hard disks of 31 computers. Apart from this, we have also found ample evidence of political complicity while going through the CDs, photos and bank cheque books and bank statements. It is quite obvious that the commissionerate police had deliberately decided not to raid the company office since they were aware of the involvement of top political leaders and influential persons,” the official informed.

This apart, the CBI has also got clear proof on the role of the police during their interrogation of AT Group owner Pradip Sethi.

The police, who had taken Sethi on a 10-day remand for interrogation and asked him nearly 150 questions, surprisingly did not think it fit to ask him any question relating to the involvement of political leaders with his company. This despite the fact that Sethi had told the media while being taken into custody by the police that he had paid about Rrs 75 crores to politicians, journalists and other influential people.

The CBI will also investigate to find out why the investigation into the AT Group was singled out to be handed over to the commissionerate police while the the Economic Offences Wing of the state Crime Branch was probing all other chit fund companies.