Odisha chit fund scam: CBI grills retired APICOL MD, son

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Dec 13:

As part of its ongoing investigation into the multi-thousand crore chit fund scam in Odisha, the CBI today grilled P K Hota, a retired IAS officer and former additional secretary in the Agriculture department and managing director (MD) of APICOL for more than four hours in connection with his alleged links with ponzi firm Seashore Group.

The CBI also grilled Hota’s son Debasish Hota, who had worked with Seashore Tours and Travels, a Seashore Group company, as a manager between 2009-10.

Hota and his son Debasish reported before the CBI here at around 9.30 am today.

“I was called by the CBI over phone to appear before them. I have answered all their questions,” Hota said after emerging from his four-hour long interrogation by CBI officials.

On November 19, the central investigation agency had raided Hota’s residences in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The raids on Hota’s residences by the CBI were conducted a  day after the Enforcement Directorate grilled Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra on his alleged links with the Seashore Group.

After the raids by the ED on Mohapatra’s residence he had told the media that his relationship with Seashore Group chief Prasant Dash was limited to facilitating the signing of a MoU between the Seashore Group and the state owned APICOL for setting up of a maize processing plant in Nabarangpur district. “I have met Prashant Dash only twice,” he had claimed.