Ponzi scam hush-up finger at senior CBI officer

BHUBANESWAR: Social campaigner Alok Jena, based on whose petition the Supreme Court had last year ordered a CBI probe into the Odisha mega chit fund scam, on Monday drew the attention of CBI director Anil Sinha accusing a senior investigating officer of the central probe agency of hushing up the investigation.
"The CBI probe has mysteriously halted. A senior IPS officer of Odisha enjoys close proximity with a CBI officer, raising suspicions that the central investigating agency is unwilling to unearth the involvement of bigwigs in the Ponzi scam.The Odisha IPS officer's brother is a close friend of the CBI officer," Jena said in his letter, which he also forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office. "We suspect the involvement of several politicians in the Ponzi scam, who have taken the help of the Odisha IPS officer to cover up the case," Jena said.
There have been protests by civil society organizations and duped investors over the slow pace of the CBI probe. On March 10, some state BJP leaders met the CBI SP here and expressed displeasure over the tardy pace of investigation into the chit fund scam. On March 6, some duped investors staged a demonstration outside the CBI office and demanded speedy completion of the investigation.