Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday arrested DSP Pramod Panda after grilling him in the afternoon for the third consecutive day at its office here in connection with the chit fund scam that has rocked the state.
The CBI confirmed the arrest. “CBI has arrested Sri Pramod Panda, presently DSP of Orissa Police, on charges of larger conspiracy and deriving undue financial benefits,” said the central agency’s spokesperson in Delhi.
Panda appeared at the CBI office around 3.30 pm. About 30 minutes after Panda went in, Alok Jena, the petitioner in the chit fund case, arrived at the CBI office.
Jena, who came out of the CBI office at 6.15 pm, said that they were questioned separately.
“As the petitioner in the case, I had come to give some crucial documents to SP CBI against DSP Panda,” he said.
Jena also said the he had been quizzed by the CBI SP about Panda going to Delhi to threaten him.
Panda, who was the Crime Branch DSP at the time, had gone to Delhi on an official tour along with one of his associates Saroj Kumar Rath, Jena said.
Jena and his wife had filed three FIRs against Panda in New Delhi accusing him of intimidating Jena and threatening him with dire consequences if he did not withdraw his public interest litigation in the apex court.
“Pramod Panda threatened me in Delhi on the orders of his boss,” Jena said.
Three inspectors of the cooperation department of the state government also arrived at the CBI office.
CBI sources said the three, whose names were not revealed, would be questioned about their roles in facilitating the cooperative business of the AT Group.
In 2011 AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy, had been awarded the ‘Best Youth Cooperator’ award by the department barely 17 days after his multi-purpose cooperative society was registered and without having done any previous work in the field to justify the award.
CBI joint director Suman Bala Sahoo, who is the head of the east zone and is posted in Kolkata, is scheduled to arrive here Saturday.
