The CBI Tuesday raided 18 places in Odisha, New Delhi and Mumbai, including the houses of Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra, in connection with the chit fund scam involving the Seashore Group.Mohapatra's houses in Bhubaneswar and New Delhi were raided, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said in New Delhi."The CBI conducted raids at two places each in Delhi and Mumbai while 16 places were raided in Odisha," the official said.The official said separate CBI teams raided the residences and offices of two retired IAS officials, industrialists and brokers through whom cash transactions were made and certain other close associates of Seashore Group CMD P.K. Dash.
In Odisha, the CBI conducted raids in Cuttack, Titlagarh in Bolangir district and Rourkela in Sundargarh district at the houses of various senior government officials and the houses and offices of the directors of the Seashore Group."Searches at the residences of private people led to the recovery of Rs.14.63 lakh in cash, two gold biscuits of 50 grams each and certain incriminating documents. Some other incriminating documents recovered from the premises of other people are being scrutinised," the official said.The CBI had earlier registered a case against the group of companies, its managing director and others in the alleged multi-crore rupee chit fund scam on the directions of the Supreme Court."I welcome the CBI's investigation. It would reveal who has looted the people of Odisha," Mohapatra told reporters.Mohapatra was once a mentor of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The Seashore Group allegedly duped thousands of people of about Rs.1,500 crore. The group had signed MoUs with the Odisha government in the tourism, health and cooperative sectors.Many political bigwigs along with some government officials are allegedly involved in the scam.The CBI has already arrested BJD parliamentarian Ram Chandra Hansdah, BJD legislator Pravat Tripathy, former BJP legislator Hitesh Bagarti and former BJD legislator Subarna Naik in this connection.