CBI registers fourth FIR against Saradha Constructions

CBI today registered a fourth FIR in connection with its probe in Saradha chit fund scam against Saradha Constructions, its Chairman and Managing Director Sudipta Sen among others.
CBI sources said with this FIR all the cases pertaining to Saradha group have been covered and now the agency will focus on other companies who were allegedly part of the Rs 2,500 crore scam in which savings of thousands of investors were swindled by chit fund operators.
The agency has registered the fresh FIR against Saradha Constructions for alleged cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust, they said.
The sources said agency has named Sudipta Sen Chairman and Managing Director of Saradha Group among others in the fresh FIR. TMC MP Kunal Ghosh is not named in this FIR.

Meanwhile, the agency also carried out coordinated searches at seven locations in Odisha against Midas Touch Group and E shore group, also a chit fund scheme operator against which CBI has registered a case earlier.
"Documents such as statement of accounts, cheques deposit slips of several bank accounts, statements showing collection of deposits and expenditure were found and seized," an official said.

On the orders of Supreme Court, CBI has formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT), headed by Joint Director Rajeev Singh, to probe the scam.
"Investigation conducted so far puts a question mark on the role of regulatory authorities like SEBI, Registrar of Companies and officials of RBI within whose respective jurisdictions and areas of operation the scam not only took birth but flourished unhindered," an apex court bench headed by Justice TS Thakur had said in its order.

CBI Special Director Anil Kumar Sinha is monitoring the progress in the probe and exercises administrative control under the overall supervision of the CBI Director.