In Odisha, the CBI has arrested owners of two media groups for their alleged link with the multi-crore chit fund scam. The CBI arrested Manoj Dash, owner of a private television channel and Madhusudan Mohanty, owner of an Odia newspaper for their alleged involvement in the chit fund firm Artha Tawa Group’s financial fraud.

The CBI probe into the multi-crore chit fund scam seemed to have become embarrassing for the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha with CBI sleuths interrogating Ashish Sahoo, member of ruling BJD executive committee, yesterday for over four hours regarding his alleged link with chit fund company Artha Tatwa group.

The CBI had already grilled General Secretary of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, youth wing of BJD, Biswaranjan Khatei for his alleged links with the chit fund scam. Sources in the CBI said, a list of 44 politicians from the state to be summoned by it for interrogations has already been prepared.

The names of some MLAs, Ministers in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet, sons of ministers, former ministers and a former Union minister are reportedly have figured in the list.

The list has been prepared on the basis of information provided to the CBI by Artha Tatwa Group chief Pradip Sethy and the group’s accountant Srikrushna Padhi during interrogations. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s name has also been dragged into the inquiry process for allegedly protecting the chit fund scamsters and promoting their illegal business.

CBI sleuths had already arrested Ranjan Das, co-founder of Artha Tatwa Grop and Bikash Kumar Swain, owner of an Odia daily over his business transaction with Artha Tatwa Group.