BARIPADA: At the centre of a Rs 122 crore finance fraud, Iswar Chandra Bindhani had among his possessions six antlers and two sets of elephant molar teeth which the ED seized from the accused’s house of at Bisole village under Kaptipada police limits on Thursday.
Bindhani, who headed Kalpana Finance Service in Odisha, had come under ED raid on Wednesday.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF) of Baripada division SK Mehrban Ali said ED officials had found the wildlife items from inside a bag while searching Bindhani’s house. The ED subsequently handed them over to the Forest department.
The ACF said the seized antlers could belong to either sambar or spotted deer. Their species will be confirmed after laboratory tests. The elephant molar teeth will also be examined as part of the investigation.
After the discovery, forest officials took Bindhani to Udala sub-divisional hospital after his health reportedly deteriorated. He is currently under medical supervision.
The forest department has registered a case under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Further action will be initiated after Bindhani’s condition stabilises, while an investigation into the seizure is underway, said officials.
The ED team began searching Bindhani’s residence at Bisole village on Wednesday morning. Simultaneous searches were also carried out at different locations in Bhubaneswar, Jagatsinghpur, Angul and Cuttack in Odisha besides four locations in West Bengal.
The action followed complaints from investors in Mayurbhanj, Angul, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts, who alleged that they had been cheated after investing in various schemes floated by Kalpana Finance Service.
The organisation had allegedly promised attractive returns and financial benefits but failed to deliver the committed profits.