CBI raids Swastik India offices in State

The CBI probing the chit fund scam in the State on Tuesday conducted raids at the offices of the Swastik India Multi State Credit Cooperative, a major player in the scam.CBI sleuths conducted raids at 12 different places across the State. They raided the Badagada residence of company’s chairman Ranjan Das, who had been earlier arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in chit fund scam and out on bail.

The team also raided the company’s offices at Nayapalli, Baramunda and laxmisagar in the city.Besides Bhubaneswar, the CBI team conducted raids at various paces in Baleswar, Bhadrak, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts.During the raid at Das’s house (MB-83) at Badagada Brit Colony here, personal security guards of the company chairman assaulted three journalists while they were collecting report about the raid.

According to reports, the three journalists, ETV reporter Subhrakanta Padhiary, Odia daily Samay photographer Jitendra Mohanty and Odia daily Dharitri photographer Manoranjan Mishra, were manhandled by Das’s security guards when they took photographs and reports of the raids on the house. 

Mohanty said Das and his aides attacked him and two other journalists while they were covering the raid. He was kept confined in the house for at least 20 minutes before the police came to his rescue, he added.

Following the incident, the Commissionerate Police arrested Das. Badagada police station IIC Suvendu Sinha said he was produced in a court here later in the day.While the Badagada police registered a case against Das, his wife filed a case at the same police station alleging that the journalists molested her.

Rajya Sabha member and managing editor of Samaya Ranjib Biswal said, “Ranjan Das is an accused in the chit fund scam and is out on bail. His bail should be immediately revoked and he should be sent back to jail.” Dhenkanal MP and editor of Dharitri Tathagata Satpathy reached the Badagada police station to discuss about the matter with the police.