Chit fund scam: Court allows CBI to take Pravat Biswal on 5-day remand

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was on Tuesday allowed by the special CBI court here to take BJD MLA Pravat Biswal on a five-day remand for further probe into his alleged links with chit fund scam in Odisha.

The CBI produced the BJD legislator before the court and sought its permission to take him on a five-day remand.

The national investigating agency arrested Biswal on Tuesday morning in connection with the purchase of a piece of land from the Seashore Group, which has duped about Rs 500 crore by floating various schemes in the state.

On the other hand, the ruling BJD stood behind the arrested MLA and accused the BJP-led central government of misutilising the central agency for political gains.

Claiming that Biswal was arrested as part of a political conspiracy, the BJD pointed to the statement of the National President of the saffron party Amit Shah during his last visit to the state in which he had threatened to send BJD leaders to jail.

It said the investigation by CBI into the chit fund scam in Odisha is conducted as per the orders of the BJP. They said the party would fight BJP politically.