BHUBANESWAR: The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) may file a case against Artha Tatwa (AT) Group in the chit fund scam once its preliminary inquiry is complete.
The agency, which operates under Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has a team of officers, led by Additional Director Manoj Kumar Sahoo, which is interrogating the directors of the AT Group currently lodged at Special Jail, Jharpada in the city.
Apart from AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy, other directors, including Jyotiprakash Jayaprakash, Srikrushna Padhi, Manoj Patnaik and Deepak Parikh have been grilled and their statements recorded by the SFIO team in the last three days. The SFIO is looking into allegations of violation of the Company Act.
Additional Director Sahoo said the agency is looking into the entire chain of collection of money from depositors and its transaction trail. “We will submit a report to the Ministry basing on the investigation. After that, a case could be registered formally, if there is adequate evidence,” Sahoo said.
Besides those lodged at the Special Jail, the SFIO has recorded statements of others who are out on bail. Sahoo also informed that the agency has already collected documents from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the case.
The SFIO, which does not have an office in the State, may take up investigation into other chit fund companies after the preliminary probe into the AT Group is completed. If necessary, it may also set up a camp office in the State.