Odisha chit fund scam: Hearing on ED plea for AT group head remand over; verdict awaited

Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Dec 24;

The Khordha District and Sessions Judge has reserved its verdict on the remand petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take Artha Tatwa (AT) group CMD Pradeep Sethy, arrested in connection with the Odisha chit fund scam, after completing hearing in the case.

ED has sought to take Sethy into custody to interrogate him about the money trail of the fraudulent deposits collected by the company.

Meanwhile, the co-accused in the AT Group and local television channel owner Manoj Dash, who is now lodged in the Jharapada jail in Bhubaneswar following his arrest by the CBI, today withdrew his bail plea from the High court, OST adds from Cuttack.

Dash withdrew his bail application from the High Court to apply for the same in the lower court, said sources.

The High Court had rejected the bail plea of another media owner Madhu Mohanty, proprietor of Odia daily Odisha Bhaskar, yesterday.

Both Dash and Mohanty were arrested by the CBI on September 14 after several rounds of interrogation.