The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out marathon grilling of BJD MlA Pravat Biswal in connection with Seashore chit fund scam on the second-day of his remand here on Wednesday.
Sources said a three-member CBI team led by DIG Manish Kumar Sinha quizzed Biswal about his links with the Seashore MD, the sources of the huge amount of money he has received and the favours he bestowed upon the dubious company to expand its business in Cuttack and its periphery and the other influential people involved. The sleuths also asked him why he had given Rs 10 lakhs to a woman Rajlaxmi Jena in the form of 11 bank drafts. The questioning was carried out at the CBI’s SIT Office in Unit -8, reports said.
The CBI in a release in its website claimed that arrested MlA had allegedly received huge amount in his wife’s account for the smooth functioning of a private group of companies for their activities in and around Cuttack.
“Investigation revealed that the said accused had allegedly received huge amount into the account of his wife from the CMD of private Group of companies, entities based at Odisha for their smooth functioning in and around Cuttack area,” said the release issued by the CBI from New Delhi on Tuesday while officially confirming the arrest of the MlA in an on-going investigation of chit fund case.
However, when the CBI sleuths were questioning MlA Biswal hundreds of BJD youth and students wing activists came in a motorbike rally from Cuttack and tried to gherao the CBI office. The activists shouted slogans against the BJP Government and burnt effigies of the BJP leaders. later, they scuffled with the police, who prevented them from barging into the CBI Office. Due to the huge crowd and the chaos traffic was diverted for some time on the stretch of the road from CRPF Square to the Unit-8 DAV School.
DCP Satyabrata Bhoi, who personally supervised the security arrangements, said police have dispersed the protestors from front of the office and, if required, Section 144 of CrPC would be clamped.
The police allowed the protestors to hold a dharna at place, which was nearly 400 metre from the CBI office. Most of the protestors said the popular MlA has been framed by the BJP Government and they are using the central investigating agency as a tool. They will continue to protest till the MlA is released.