IG Sanjeeb Panda quizzed by CBI on Seashore links

Cuttack: A day after IG Central Range RP Koche was quizzed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)about his alleged links with chit fund company Seashore, another senior IPS officer Sanjeeb Panda was questioned by a team of the Central investigating agency in connection with the same case on Thursday.

Panda admitted in an interview to OTV that a CBI officer had gone to his Cuttack office and questioned him for half an hour. “The officer came to my office to collect information,” he said.

Regarding the questions he faced, Panda added, “The officer asked me what I knew about Shubhankar. In my reply, I said I have no connections with him.”

When asked why he was picked for questioning out of so many IPS officers working, Panda, who is OSAP IG at present, replied, “There is no harm in collecting information,” adding that he was not told whether his name was mentioned in Shubhankar’s dairy.

He elaborated, “I was asked whether Shubhankar came to the police headquarters and I have had any connection with him. All questions fielded to me were about him (Shubhankar).”

Source said a diary seized from arrested fixer Shubhankar Naik, who was allegedly acting as a link between bureaucrats, political leaders, police officials and Seashore officials, mentions names of influential people including newspaper editors, political leaders, IAS and IPS officers.

Notably, on Wednesday, Koche was quizzed about his alleged connections with Seashore.