Chit fund scam: Swastik India offices in State raided by CBI

-- Scribes assaulted during CBI raid in city, ponzi firm chief held

BHUBANESWAR: The CBI probing the chit fund scam in the State on Tuesday conducted raids at the offices of Swastik India Multi State Credit Cooperative, a major player in the chit fund scam in the State.

The CBI sleuths conducted raid at 12 different places across the State. They raided Badagada residence of company’s chairman Ranjan Das, who was earlier arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in chit fund scam and out on bail.

The team also raided company’s offices at Nayapalli, Baramunda and Laxmisagar in the city, sources said.

Besides Bhubaneswar, the CBI team also conducted raids at various paces in Baleswar, Bhadrak, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda.

During the CBI raid at Das’s house (MB-83) at Badagada Brit Colony here, personal security guards of the company chairman assaulted three journalists while they were collecting report about CBI raid.

According to reports, the three journalists, ETV reporter Subhrakanta Padhiary, Odia daily Samay photographer Jitendra Mohanty and of Odia daily Dharitri photographer Manoranjan Mishra, were manhandled by Das’s security guards when they took photographs and reports of CBI raids on the house. 

Mohanty said Das and his aides attacked him and two other journalists while they were covering the CBI raid on Swastik India chief’s residence. He was kept confined inside the house for at least 20 minutes before the police came to his rescue, he added.

Following the incident, the Commissionerate Police arrested Das. Badagada IIC Suvendu Sinha said he would be produced in a court here later in the day.

While Badagada police have registered a case against Das, his wife has filed a case in the same police station alleging that the journalists molested her.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP and managing editor of The Samay Ranjib Biswal has strongly condemned the assault on journalists. “Ranjan Das is an accused in the chit fund scam and is out on bail. His bail should be immediately revoked and he should be sent back to jail again,” said Biswal.

Similarly, Dhenkanal MP and editor of The Dharitri Tathagat Satpathy also reached the Badagada police station to discuss about the matter.