Balasore: The Crime Branch team investigating into the Saradha chit fund scam has started investigations in the company’s branch office in Balasore after breaking the lock of the office. The office was locked up for the past few days.
The lock on the office of the ‘Saradha Realty India’ was broken in the presence of the local Magistrate this morning. Crime Branch officials have begun their raid in the office.
Similarly, the investigating team has also broken the lock to the sales counter of the grocery store of the company situated near the office.
The Commercial Tax Officer of the Vigilance Wing was also present during the raid.
State Crime Branch today broke into the locked Balasore office of Kolkata-based Saradha Group, which is embroiled in the Rs 20,000-crore chit fund fraud, and seized some computers and files.
The seizures are expected to further uncover the financial company’s dubious activities in the State.
Meanwhile, the name of one Gobinda Prasad Giri of Balasore district’s Jaleswar area has come out as the one who played a major role in spreading the fraudulent company’s business in the district as well as Sambalpur, where Saradha had acquired large chunks of land.
While examining papers of vario
Probe revealed Giri was the director of 77 companies including the Group’s flagship firm Saradha Realty.
Interestingly, Giri was also a director of at least 18 companies where Debjani Mukherjee held the post of a director as well. Investigators feel that all of these companies – outside the Saradha banner – were used to siphon off money and keep regulators off the track.
Detailed investigations into the Saradha books have started throwing up new names as well.
Balasore: Close on the heels of Chit Fund fraud by Kolkata based Saradha Group that rocked the region recently, hundreds of investors of Artha Tatwa Group on Monday lodged a complaint against its managing director and other officials for allegedly duping crores of public money.
The investors under the banner of Punji Nibesakari Sangha led by Jagannath Behera filed compliant against AT Group’s CMD Pradip Sethi, Sales Director Manoj Pattnaik, Director Jagabandhu Panda and Assistant Director Manindra Parmanik with Sahadevkhunta police seeking their immediate arrest.
They alleged the AT Group which started its operation in 2008 had collected nearly Rs 100 Crore from Balasore district alone. Though the company initially provided 3 percent dividend per month to senior citizens against Rs 1 lakh deposit, it was 2 percent for general.
“It however stopped paying the money since July last year. When we approached the company officials, they tried to convince us and agreed to start payments from November onwards which too they could not adhere to. We were later pacified as the company through a newspaper advertisement declared that it would settle down the investments soon. Though four months have passed since, none’s account has been settled,” Behera said.
