BHUBANESWAR: After Trinamool Congress, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s shadow has now come to haunt Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as the probe agency on Thursday went after two lawmakers of the ruling dispensation in connection with the chit fund scam in Seashore Group of Companies.
The premier investigating agency raided the office and house premises of BJD MP RK Jena and legislator Pravat Biswal as part of its search across 36 places in the State and outside. With the panchayat polls exactly a month to go, the CBI action was met with protests by the ruling party as its activists tried to lay siege to the agency’s office in the City. The party also dubbed the raids as “motivated” saying it is being done in view of the panchayat elections.
Sources said, the CBI teams raided the house and office of Jena at Balasore besides the premises of his associates. At least six places were searched in the town. A private MBA college and its promoter’s house also came under the raids. The MP is on advisory board of the educational institute. His official residence in Delhi was also searched where the sleuths checked various documents.
Similarly, Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Biswal’s houses at MLA Colony in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack’s Mahanadi Vihar were also searched. The house of Saroj Sahu, an office assistant of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was also searched by the probe agency on the day.
A successful industrialist, Jena was expected to appear before the agency on the day since he was issued summon two days back but he did not show up. In December last year, he had been quizzed by the CBI thrice in connection with a loan deal with Seashore Group of companies.
Jena’s Supratik Group had taken a loan of Rs 18 crore from Seashore Group during 2010-11. While the loan repayment is stated to have been completed, the dealing brought the MP under the scanner of the agency. Before being an MP, Jena was CEO of Balasore Alloys from 2007 to 2011.
Biswal, on the other hand, has been under radar of CBI over a land deal by his wife Laxmi Bilasini Nayak with Seashore Group chief Prashant Dash. She was also quizzed last year when she provided documents to the probe agency but the clarifications have not apparently satisfied the agency. “We are cooperating with the probe agency in all possible manner,” Biswal told mediapersons on Thursday. Sahu, a former aide of the CM who continues to work in Naveen Nivas, had been quizzed by the CBI for his alleged links with the Ponzi company in 2014.
The probe agency also raided the office and house premises of Congress leader and transport contractor Bapi Sarkhel. His premises at Shyampur as well as office in Sahid Nagar of Bhubaneswar and another house in Cuttack came under the raids. Sarkhel is currently in jail in connection with a murder case.
The CBI also raided the house of former president of Odisa Mumbai Samaj Bipin Bihari Mishra at Mumbai. From all these places, the sleuths collected documents. The Seashore Group scam is estimated at over `1000 crore. The CBI, ED as well as Economic Offences Wing have attached assets of the firm in the past.