The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested one of the founder directors of Artha Tatwa group in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in connection with an alleged multi-crore chit fund scam.
“We have arrested the accused named Jyotiprakash Joyprakash in one of the 44 cases registered against the companies and others involved in the chit fund scam,” said a CBI official.
About a week ago, the agency had arrested Sambit Khuntia, another director of the Artha Tatwa group for his alleged role. He was purportedly found hiding in a well located in the backyard of his residence.
The then Artha Tatwa group chief Pradip Sethi was arrested about a year ago for allegedly cheating hundreds of investors. Nearly a dozen cases were registered against him in the State.
On Sunday, the CBI also questioned Manoranjana Singh, the estranged wife of former Congress MP Matang Singh, for her suspected role in the Saradha scam. “Investigations have indicated that she had financial dealings with a Saradha group company, said the official, adding that searches were carried out at her premises earlier this month. In his letter to the CBI, main accused Sudipta Sen had in April last year alleged that he had spent about Rs.28 crore on her, including payment of Rs.25 crore in the name of a company.
The CBI has conducted multiple rounds of searches and questioned several prominent personalities in connection with the Saradha Scam since July 31. While some more arrests are likely, the agency has so far issued notices to nearly 500 people to cooperate in the investigations.
