BHUBANESWAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Wednesday, grilled BJD MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal after arresting and taking him on five-day-remand on Tuesday for investigation in the multi-crore Seashore Group chit fund scam.According to sources, Biswal is being questioned on the first floor of the CBI office in the city by the agency’s SIT DIG Manish Kumar Sinha and two other officials. The CBI sleuths have raided three places to probe into Biswal’s alleged links with Seashore. They have also summoned a woman, Rajalaxmi Jena and asked her to depose before them within three days, the sleuths added.
CBI counsel Kali Charan Mishra had told the Special CBI Court on Tuesday that about `25 lakh was transferred from the account of Seashore to the account of Biswal’s wife, Laxmi Bilasini. Later, Bilasini diverted around Rs 9.2 lakh from her account to her husband’s account. Biswal had then diverted some part of the money to Jena’s account, the agency’s counsel had further said in the court.
CBI sources said, Biswal and Jena will be questioned together to ascertain about the financial transactions after receiving money from the ponzi firm.
The central probe agency had earlier questioned the couple regarding the matter. Bilasani has maintained that they had received Rs 25 lakh from Seashore in 2011 to sell one of their lands in Jajpur district to the firm, but when the deal did not materialise, they had returned the money.
The couple had claimed that they had borrowed money from 11 persons to repay Seashore’s amount and had showed the stamp papers signed by the lenders to the CBI but the investigating agency found the documents to be forged.
On the other hand, protesting the legislator’s arrest, his supporters took out a bike rally from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday and demonstrated in front of the CBI office in the Capital. The BJD workers raised slogans against BJP and the central investigating agency.
The Choudwar-Cuttack MLA’s supporters also had a scuffle with the city cops before they were dispersed from the spot. The agency will most likely oppose Biswal’s bail in the court on September 23 on the grounds that he might use his muscle power to tamper the evidence.