BHUBANESWAR: A day after he was grilled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged links with the Seashore Group of Companies, a major player in the ponzi scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday cracked down on Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra.
Mohapatra’s residences at Bhubaneswar and New Delhi came under CBI raids early in the morning. The CBI teams started the operation at about 7.45 am which continued till 12 noon during which the agency seized several documents. The MP welcomed the probe saying it would bring out the truth since a campaign had been launched against him in the past.
Apart from Mohapatra, the premier agency also raided the premises of two retired IAS officers, former chairman of a State PSU, several corporate offices and people close to Seashore Group chief Prashant Dash as part of its crackdown across several cities of the country.
Subhankar Nayak, a close aide of the Seashore Group CMD, was arrested by the CBI after the raids. During a search at his flat in Chandrama Apartments in Bhubaneswar, the investigators stumbled upon two gold biscuits weighing 100 gm, Rs 14.63 lakh cash and incriminating documents.
The CBI sources said Nayak could be the key to the investigation since he played a major role in brokering “important deals.” He was a go-between Dash and bureaucrats as well as political leaders.
A middleman, Nayak allegedly helped Dash divert funds from the company. “Analysis of documents seized from his residence shows that prima facie he had nexus with Seashore Group for channelisation of funds,” a spokesperson of the probe agency said. His bank accounts and call details are under scanner.
Similarly, the premises of former chairman of state-owned Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (APICOL) B K Rath at Titlagarh, residences of retired IAS officers S C Patnaik and P K Hota in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack were also searched by the investigating agency.
Hota was formerly the Additional Secretary in the Agriculture Department and MD of APICOL, whereas Patnaik served as Secretary, School and Mass Education Department and Director, Sports and Youth Affairs apart from a stint at Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd.
The raids were carried out across 18 places during the day. In Odisha, the agency cracked down at 16 places of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Angul and Titlagarh whereas simultaneous searches were carried out in Mumbai and Delhi. The offices of Shubh Ispat in Rourkela came under CBI raids during the day.
The CBI sources said it has found evidence of money transactions from Seashore Group to different companies. An associate of Dash through whom he allegedly purchased property and several former employees were also searched.
Seashore Group, which is accused of duping thousands of investors to the tune of over Rs 700 crore, had its businesses spread across 10 different sectors __ starting from agri-processing plants to cruise-liners and gold trade.
It had also entered into agreement with Odisha Government in cooperative, tourism and health sectors raising suspicion over the role of ruling party leaders and officers.
On Monday, the Rajya Sabha member was interrogated by the ED for his alleged links with the company and Dash, who is currently in the custody of CBI.
Mohapatra was perceived close to Dash in the previous term of Biju Janata Dal Government during which the Rajya Sabha member was very much a part of the ruling party and enjoyed a strong political influence.
The Seashore Group chief had stated last week that the State Government had targeted his company after the May 29, 2012 political coup which Mohapatra had unsuccessfully attempted.