CBI grills Mumbai-based model again, raids Seashore Group

The CBI today questioned a Mumbai-based model and television serial producer for the second time in a span of three days for her alleged link with Artha Tatwa Group CMD Pradip Sethi, arrested on charges of duping investors in Odisha.
Model Preeti Bhatia came to the CBI state headquarters here along with her mother and faced questions from sleuths of the investigating agency, CBI sources said.
She had earlier appeared before the investigating team on Tuesday.
While investigating into the money trail of the Artha Tatwa Group, the CBI had reportedly found business links between Bhatia and Sethi.
Bhatia and Sethi were directors in a company with its registered office at Santa Cruz (West) area in Mumbai, the sources said.

The central investigating agency had already raided Bhatia's house in Mumbai last month. Sources said CBI came to know about Bhatia while interrogating Mumbai real estate broker Deepak Pareek, who had been arrested earlier.

Meanwhile, separate teams of CBI today raided the residence of Prashant Dash, CMD of Seashore Group, which had allegedly duped the investors in Odisha of more than Rs 500 crore, the sources said.
Dash, who was arrested by the Crime Branch of Odisha police last year, has been in jail since then. The CBI teams also raided houses of two other senior executives of Seashore Group.

A total of 39 cases have been registered against nine companies of the Seashore Group. Besides documents, the Crime Branch had submitted bank accounts, cheque books, land documents, bank drafts and receipts of gold biscuits purchased from banks and jewellery shops to the CBI.
Seashore Group was among the 44 ponzi companies which have come under the scanner of CBI.