Odisha chit fund scam: AT Group director arrested, CBI raids continue
Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 17:
While the CBI today continued with its raids in Odisha in the multi-thousand crore chit fund scam, the central agency confirmed the arrest of former AT Group director Sambit Khuntia.
The CBI had raided Khuntia’s residence at the Bata Mangala Housing Board colony in Khordha on Saturday.
Khuntia was taken into custody after several incriminating documents were seized from his residence during the raid.
He will be produced before the local court today and the CBI is likely to seek his remand for further interrogation, sources said.
Khuntia, a Youth Congress office-bearer in the past, was a very close associate of AT Group chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Pradip Sethy. He owns more than 100 acres of land in Khordha, sources revealed.
The CBI team are today raiding an office of the ponzi firm at Kharavela Nagar here, after breaking open the locks. The office had been shut down after the chit find scam rocked the state.
The CBI on Saturday conducted searches at 60 locations including two each in Mumbai, Berhampur, Balasore and the remaining 54 in Bhubaneswar and adjacent areas at the office and residential premises of Odisha based AT Group of companies; their directors & other office bearers and also of those companies / individuals who had close links with the said Group, said a CBI release issued Saturday evening.
A case has been registered against the AT Group of Companies in the alleged multi-crore chit fund scam on the directions of Supreme Court of India and investigation has been taken up by the SIT of CBI, the release said.
The CBI release also said searches were conducted in Mumbai at the office and residence of a stock broker who had allegedly obtained license from SEBI and MCX for the AT Group of Companies and at the residence of a TV Serial Producer.
During searches, incriminating documents have been recovered. CBI had registered four cases in West Bengal and 44 in Odisha this year in the multi-crore chit fund scam on the direction of the Supreme Court and the investigation is continuing, the release added.
Sambit Kumar Khuntia was one of the directors in Artha Tatwa Group of companies. It is not yet understood why he was not arrested by Commissionerate Police till date.
Commissionerate Police had not arrested Sambit owing to the pressure of some politicians and one IPS officer as a huge amount of black money was invested by these corrupt politicians and IPS officer and they were fully aware that if Sandip Kumar Khuntia is arrested then certainly police would recommend to seize his property. Pradeep Sethy (CMD of AT Group) had cunningly purchased huge immovable properties in the name of different directors and some employees and kept documents of all these immovable properties either in his custody or handed over those property documents to those politicians and the IPS officer whose black money was invested in AT Group of Companies. Sambit was staying in his residence in Khurda without any sense of fear as he was having the full support of the local police, one IPS officer and some politicians. Moreover he was under the wrong impression that almost all relevant documents related to his connection with Atha Tatwa were destroyed long back.
Now one more director of Artha Tatwa Group of companies is yet to be arrested and he is Jyotiprakash Jayprakash, son of Jayprakash Induprakash of Bhubaneswar. This person is holding most number of shares in all nine companies of Artha Tatwa Group after CMD Pradeep Sethy.He is the most reliable man of Pradeep Sethy. Hundred acres of costly land in different part of Odisha, number of flats in Bhubaneswar, other parts of Odisha and Kolkata were purchased in the name of this director. The Commissionerate Police has never tried to arrest him intentionally. After his arrest by the CBI, a lot of untold stories will come out in the open about the AT Group and the politicians and public servants associated with this fraud company.
JAYANTA KUMAR DAS (RTI ACTIVIST),9861770749(M)