CBI Probe Into Multi-Billion Chit Fund Scam Halted Mysteriously, Alleges Petitioner From Odisha
19 January,Ahmedabad
The sole petitioner in the mega chit fund scam, social activist Alok Jena Tuesday alleged that within three months after the Supreme Court handed over the inquiry into the multi-billion-rupee chit fund scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the national probe agency, instead of expediting, has slowed it down.
Jena, who was here to coordinate with the Adivasi Kisan Sangharsh Manch (AKSM), mobilising the victims of chit fund companies, alleged that because Gujarat government had callously ignored the notice of the Supreme Court to furnish details of the number of chit fund companies operating in the state, number of people duped by them, amount of money involved and their inter-state ramification, over 27 people were compelled to commit suicide in the state since 2012.
The Supreme Court, in response to the public interest litigation filed by Jena, had on May 9, 2014 ordered the CBI to take over the probe into the mega chit fund scams, involving billions of rupees.
Jena alleged that CBI, which was actively pursuing the cases leading to the arrests of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Ramchandra Hansda, BJD chief whip Pravat Tripathi, Odisha Advocate General Ashok Mohanty and issued summons to 48 ruling party leaders, including eight Ministers, suddenly turned dormant after the investigating officer MK Sinha, IPS, picked up Saroj Sahu, the power of attorney holder of the bank accounts of BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The social activist said the same evening after Sahu was freed by CBI, the Chief Minister left for Delhi, where he reportedly met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and after staying in a farm house for 12 days, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jena said after the meeting between Patnaik and Modi, CBI’s investigating officer Sinha was taken off the investigation and transferred to the technical branch of CBI.
After the SC order, in all, 44 chit fund companies are being investigated by the CBI. Of these, the names of much-talked about West Bengal-based Saradha chit fund and Gujarat-based Astha International chit fund companies were submitted to the Supreme Court by the petitioner.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s directive, I submitted the names of only 11 chit fund companies, about which I was aware then. However, the apex court has kept the case open, leaving scope for any citizen in the country to bring to its notice the names of other chit fund companies, which need to be investigated by the CBI,” saidr Jena.