The CBI on Thursday filed a supplementary chargesheet in the court of the Special Chief Judicial Magistrate CBI against three persons including former Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Asirbad Behera in connection with his links with chit fund company Artha Tatwa (AT).
The CBI alleged that the OCA and Behera promoted AT Group to enhance the credibility of the group which led to massive investments by a number of people.
“In lieu of the same, they allegedly received a sum of Rs 1 crore from AT group in the guise of sponsorship of the Odisha Ranji team and title sponsorship of Odisha Premier League (OPL) held in 2011,” the CBI added.
On August 16, 2014, the CBI had raided the OCA office and Behera’s residence. Sources said that around Rs 5 crore had been invested in the first edition of OPL.
Apart from the franchise fees, which range between Rs 27 lakh to Rs 55 lakh, each franchise is said to have spent around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh during the tournament.
As many as 10 franchisees had participated in the tournament.
Besides, the CBI had also grilled Behera several times for his alleged links with the AT Group.