The CBI, probing the multi-thousand-crore chit fund scam in the State, on Monday interrogated eight Cuttack-based persons, including three contractors who claimed to have had money dealings with Choudwar-Cuttack BJD MlA Pravat Ranjan Biswal vis-a-vis the Seashore chit fund company.
Talking to mediapersons after coming out of the CBI office, the three contractors, Arabinda Jena, Gouranga Patra and Asit Malia, said they had given a loan of Rs 1 lakh each to laxmi Bilasini Biswal, wife of MlA Pravat Biswal, in 2012.
The contractors had given the loan in cash. Sources said laxmi Bilasini had taken the loan from them saying that she had an urgent need of money.
“The CBI officials had asked us about our financial transaction with Biswal’s wife, and in reply we said she had taken the loan from us saying she had an urgent need for money,” said the contractors.
Notably, the CBI had come to know about the link of some persons, including the three contractors, during a raid on the house of the MlA in Choudwar, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recently.
The CBI had earlier questioned laxmi Bilasini and the MlA over a land deal with the Seashore Group.