Chit-fund scam: IG Central Koche quizzed by CBI

Bhubaneswar: Intensifying its probe into the multi-crore chit-fund scam in Odisha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday quizzed IG, Central range RP Koche about his alleged connections with the Seashore Group of Companies.

Koche admitted that the CBI questioned him during a telephonic interview with the OTV. “Yesterday, they (CBI) had sought clarifications regarding the case and I gave the details to them,” he said.

Asked to elaborate on the questioning, he further stated, “As the investigation is on, I can’t talk much about that.”

Sources said Koche was grilled at a secret place regarding a diary seized from arrested fixer Shubhankar Naik, who was allegedly acting as a link between bureaucrats, political leaders, police officials and Seashore officials.

Names of influential people like newspaper editors, political leaders, IAS and IPS officers are mentioned in the diary, the sources added.

Notably, former Crime Branch DIG Rajesh Kumar and IPS officer Satish Gajbhiye have also been questioned by the CBI regarding their alleged links with Seashore.

At a time when the probe into the Seashore scam was going on at full pace with revelation of names of political leaders for their involvement in the case, the Investigating Officer (IO) was transferred, sources said, adding that the investigation seems to be back on track after the new IO took charge.