The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the multi-crore chit fund scam in Odisha, West Bengal and Assam, has started its formal investigation from Thursday by conducting raids at 20 locations in the State.
The Central probing agency, to begin with, conducted raids on houses of three politicians, including two from the ruling BJD, in connection with the scam.
Though some names of ruling party MlAs were doing the rounds in connection with the scam, the State Crime Branch or the police had not lodged any case against any politicians. But the CBI’s fresh raids have proved the media speculations to be true.
The three politicians identified as BJD MP from Mayurbhanj Ramachandra Hansdah, former BJD MlA from Keonjhar Subarna Nayak and former BJP MlA from Khariar Hitesh Bagarti, were founder members and directors of chit-fund firm Nava Diganta Capital Services limited against which the CBI has recently registered a case for alleged swindling of people’s money running into crores of rupees.
The CBI raided the houses of Hansdah in Bhubaneswar and Rairangpur, Naik’s residence at Govindpur village in Keonjhar district and Bagarti’s home at Khariar.
The CBI sources said it recovered Rs 28 lakh cash from the residence of Hansdah for which the agency would seek his explanation. Searches at the residence of another director Sanyasi Pradhan has also led to recovery of fixed deposit receipts of Rs 22 lakh and cash of about Rs five lakh.
“The CBI sleuths raided my house at Khariar and seized some documents. They have taken my ATM card and bank pass book,” said Bagarti to a local television channel.
Both Hansdah and Naik, however, have denied any knowledge about the raid in their residences.
The series of raids has triggered a fear psychosis among the politicians of the State since the probing agency is scheduled to conduct more raids at different places of the State, said the sources.
Among the other premises raided by the CBI in the city was Nabadiganta Capital Services limited, a chit fund company, operating at plot no- N3-18 in Nayapalli area here, sources said.
The sources revealed that the team is interrogating one of the directors of the company, Pradeep Kumar Pattnaik, and seized several important documents from his possession.
The agency also conducted raids on the office of the Rose Valley Group, a chit fund firm, in the city and succeeded to get some important documents which would help the investigating officers to unearth more details in the case.