Raising doubt on the efficiency of the Crime Branch (CB), civil society groups on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the involvement of actors-cum-politicians belonging to the ruling Biju Janata Dal, who acted in films produced by arrested chit fund scam accused Prabhas Rout of the Oscar chit fund company.
“So far as our past experience goes, the State investigating agency has totally failed to take an investigation to a logical end. May it be the Dhalsamanta brothers’ case, the chit fund scam, etc. Here in the Oscar chit fund scam, many ruling party MPs are involved. We don’t think that justice will be ensured in this case,” Pradip Pradhan of the civil society groups told reporters here.
He said the arrest of Prabhas Rout, promoter of Oscar, a money circulation company, revealed as to how hard-earned money of people had been wasted in film productions.
“The criminal nexus between chit fund companies, builders and Ollywood actors and actresses has been exposed. The chit fund companies were mushrooming under political patronage of the BJD headed by its supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,” said Pradhan.
Maintaining that people are suspicious that top actors promoted the cause of Oscar that swindled Rs230 crore out of chit fund schemes, Pradhan pointed finger at Odia film star Siddhant Mohapatra, who is BJD MP from Brahmapur; Anubhab Mohanty, a BJD Rajya Sabha member; Akash DasNayak, MlA, and Tattwa Prakash Satpathy alias Papu Pom Pom, who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election as a BJD candidate.
“Considering the sensitiveness and involvement of influential people in the case, a CBI probe must be held to bring the so-called clean people to the fore. All the accused persons should be arrested forthwith to avoid tampering of evidences,” said Pradhan.