In a major embarrassment for the ruling BJD during the panchayat poll battle, the CBI on Thursday raided houses of several party men, including an MlA, an MP and a close associate of party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in connection with the Seashore Group chit fund scam in the State.
The searches were carried out at 36 locations in the State.
Houses of Choudwar-Cuttack MlA Pravat Ranjan Biswal in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, Baleswar MP Rabindra Kumar Jena in Baleswar and Naveen Patnaik’s residence (Naveen Niwas) office staffer Saroj Sahoo in Bhubaneswar were raided.
While Saroj Sahoo had been interrogated by the CBI once in November 2014, Biswal and his wife laxmibilasini and lok Sabha member Jena were quizzed several times.
Raids were conducted at six places in Baleswar, including Jena’s two houses and those of some of his close associates, Biswal’s Government quarters in Bhubaneswar and his house at Mahanadi Vihar in Cuttack, Sahoo’s house at Pallaspalli in Bhubaneswar, Solan In hotel owner Kamalakanta Das’ house at Old Town in Bhubaneswar, house of a councillor of Choudwar Municipality and houses of some Seashore Group staffs. In Baleswar, the residences of Sudha Sindhu Panda and Jugal More were also raided. Panda and More were the proprietors of the ABA College, which allegedly made some financial transactions with the tainted money collection company.
“It is a matter of land deal with Seashore. The CBI had earlier questioned my wife over that. The officials sought more information about it today. We are fully cooperating with the CBI and have not done anything illegal,” claimed MlA Biswal.
Saroj Sahoo, who is a trusted person of the Chief Minister, allegedly connived with Seashore Group to cheat poor investors. The probe agency strongly suspects involvement of the concerned persons in the multi-hundred-crore Seashore scam.
The CBI has already filed chargesheets against CMD of the Seashore Group of companies Prashant Kumar Dash and several others of the group.
CBI sources said the searches were conducted as part of the probe into a case registered against the Seashore Group as per the warrants issued by a Special Court.
Meanwhile, the BJD cried political vendetta behind the raids and questioned the timing of the CBI action.
“All of them (whose houses were raided today) had been interrogated by the CBI two years ago. Then, why the CBI conducted raids today after a long gapIJ Doesn’t it mean that it is done as panchayat polls are fast approaching,” questioned BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb.