Odisha chit fund scam: CBI grills model Preeti Bhatia

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 6:

Mumbai based model Preeti Bhatia today appeared before the CBI at its office in the Odisha capital in connection with the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group scam.

The CBI is interrogating her complicity with the AT Group which is a major player in the mega chit fund scam in Odisha which runs into a few thousand crores of rupees.

It was second time Ms Bhatia was interrogated by the CBI after her release from jail on conditional bail granted by the Supreme Court, the first time being on December 12 last year.

Notably, CBI arrested Ms Bhatia for her alleged complicity with the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group on October 10, 2014.

The model was allowed to go on bail by the apex court on November 4 last year after her bail plea was rejected first by the CJM court of CBI, then the Khurdha District and Sessions court and subsequently by the Odisha High Court on March 16 last year.

The apex court while conducting a hearing on her bail plea had directed Ms Bhatia to deposit a sum of Rs 1, 17, 83, 000 within six weeks with the special CBI Court in Bhubaneswar.

The court had ruled only after the amount is deposited by her he court would consider whether she would be granted bail or not.

Ms Bhatia on June 5, 2015 deposited a sum of Rs 1, 17, 83,000 at the special CJM court of the CBI in Bhubaneswar as a precondition set by the Supreme Court for her bail plea to be heard.

Ms Bhatia’s counsel AK Singh had deposited the sum in the CBI court.