BHUBANESWAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a chargesheet against three directors of the Astha Group on charges of cheating and misappropriation of public deposits to the tune of `66.23 crore.
The directors of the company, who are cooling their heels in the Special Jail here at Jharpada, after swindling more than `100 crore from gullible investors, have been booked under Sections 120-B, 409, 420 of the IPC and Sections 4, 5 and 6 of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act.
According to CBI sources, Chandrasinh Shivaji Chauhan and Santosh Kisan Sapkale, both Directors of Astha Goat Farming India and Astha International, and Subhranshu Sekhar Lenka, Odisha Head of Astha Group and Astha Goat Farming India and Astha International, were named in the chargesheet filed before the Special CJM (CBI) on Monday.
While this is the preliminary chargesheet in Astha chit fund scam, further investigation is open to ascertain the role of others for larger conspiracy, money trail and role of regulatory authorities, sources added.
Earlier this month, the CBI conducted raids at offices of Astha Group at 14 places across the country, including Odisha. During simultaneous raids at three locations in the State, the sleuths seized incriminating documents from the company’s offices at Jagatsinghpur, Angul and Bhubaneswar and the residence of its directors.