Odisha chit fund scam: Two OCA office-bearers spend day at CBI office without being questioned

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Dec 5:

Accountant of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) MA Ahad, auditor Basant Swain and contractor Sanjay Mishra arrived at the CBI office here this morning for interrogation on the OCA’s link with chit fund company Artha Tatwa (AT) Group. But they were allowed to go in the evening without being questioned. The duo arrived at the CBI office at 10.30 AM.

Ahad and Swain had arreived at the office at about 10.30 am and left around 6.30 pm.

“We were made to sit all day and then asked to leave now since they were all busy,” Ahad told media persons on his way out of the CBI office in the evening.

It is understood that the entire local CBI taem was busy strategising on the ongoing investigation with visiting CBI joint director Rajiv Singh and DIG S Bagchi all day.

OCA honorary secretary Asirbad Behera and other OCA officials have been interrogated four times in the last one month on OCA’s alleged links with the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group, a major player in the multi- crore chit fund scam, which had invested Rrs 1 crore as the main sponsor of Odisha Premier League, modelled on the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The last time these OCA officials, including Ahad, were questioned was on November 19.

After the CBI took over the probe in the chit fund scam in Odisha, the CBI had raided the OCA office and Asirbad Behera’s residence on August 17 and had seized several important documents.

The OCA secretary has been saying time and again that the AT Group had sponsored the OPL tournament and had paid Rs One crore towards sponsorship fees and that the OCA had all the documents to prove that it was a bona fide commercial deal. He had said a part of the sponsorship amount was spent in hiring Australian coach Michael Bevan to train Odisha Ranji team players.