BALASORE: The CBI has started its inquiry into the multi-crore chit fund scam involving Green Ray International Limited (GRIL), which is accused of mobilising more than `2,000 crore from 14 States, including Odisha.
A three-member team of CBI officials, led by SP Rajiv Ranjan, arrived at Jaleswar on Friday to interact with investors, agents and some employees of the company. The officials met some depositors and agents, including one Heeralal Seet, who was also earlier quizzed by the investigating agency at Bhubaneswar. The team collected important documents from him.
An agent informed the team that a day before the May 13, 2013 Crime Branch raid on the company’s corporate office, another agent Sk Tazubuddin had taken away nearly three quintals of silver and gold coins, besides cash of `60 lakh from the office in a pick-up van. “So far, no investigation has been made to locate the coins and cash and no action taken against him,” he alleged.
Earlier, the CBI sleuths had raided Green Ray branch offices at 13 places in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Khurda and Nayagarh districts. Corporate office and houses of the company officials at Jaleswar in Balasore district and Tarpur in Jajpur were raided simultaneously along with the offices at Kolkata and New Delhi on September 28 last year.
Sources said the CBI has prepared a list of persons who are to be grilled in the coming days. The team is ascertaining facts on the activities of the ponzi firm’s promoters - Mir Sahiruddin, Khalik Saha, Ayub Saha and Mir Tahiruddin.
Last year, the CBI had also issued notices to nationalised and private banks in the district to furnish accounts and transaction details of the company and its directors to the designated court. Altogether, 13 cases have been registered against the company authorities under various sections of IPC and Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978 in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Sonepur and Khurda districts. Chhattisgarh Police also registered five cases and arrested director Ayub Shah and a branch manager.
While company MD Mir Shahiruddin is suspected to have been hiding in Nigeria, crores of rupees were transferred from India to Dubai where he wanted to settle down after winding up his business here.