Odisha chit fund scam: CBI raids 29 premises of Seashore

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Sept 25:

After the AT group, it is now the turn of the Seashore to face the CBI music in the Great Odisha Chit Fund Scam. CBI officers launched simultaneous raids at offices and residences of its top honchos of the company, the biggest among the home grown Ponzi firms, at 29 places across the state this morning.

According to reports, two teams of CBI officials raided the house of Seashore CMD Prasant Kumar Das at Jharpada and the company’s office at Sahid Nagar here.

CBI teams also raided the residence of Gopal Chandra Sahu, one of the directors of the company, at Nayapalli area of the capital city and at his native place at Sarua village near Khordha.

Ten teams of CBI sleuths are engaged in the raids on Seashore, sources in the agency said. Officers requisitioned from other states have been pressed into service for the raids, they said.

It may mentioned that the Odisha Crime Branch police had handed over all official documents and files of Seashore chit fund company seized by them to the CBI on September 5 this year.

Along with the documents, the Crime Branch had submitted the bank accounts, cheque books, land documents, bank drafts and receipts of gold biscuits purchased from the banks and jewellery shops to the CBI.

Besides, it had also submitted a copy of the statement of Seashore chief Prasant Dash during his interrogation it had conducted earlier.

The documents revealed the modus operandi of the Seashore company that had allegedly duped the people of the state to the tune nearly Rs 1500 crores with the active support of the state government and ruling party leaders.

The company had signed several MoUs with the state government.