CBI arrests Ashok Mohanty in chit fund scam

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, Sep 22: After being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation on September 13 for his alleged involvement in the chit fund scam, former Advocate General of Odisha Ashok Mohanty was arrested by the investigating agency on Monday.Mohanty was arrested in connection with his purchasing of a house built on an independent plot in Cuttack from CMD of Artha Tatwa (AT) Group Pradip Sethy, sources said.He was arrested from his house in Cuttack and brought to the CBI office in the city. Mohanty was first questioned by the CBI a day after he relinquished office as Advocate General within hours of the acceptance of his resignation letter by the Naveen Patnaik Government.Though Mohanty had tendered his resignation from the post of Advocate General in May this year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had accepted the resignation only on September 12, apparently after Mohanty was summoned by the CBI to appear before it in connection with the purchase of the house in Cuttack.Coming out of the CBI office after his questioning on September 13, Mohanty had stated that he had purchased the house from Sethy by paying Rs.1.1 crore through cheque.The former Advocate General also informed that he had handed over the papers pertaining to the purchase of the house to the CBI.AT Group head Sethy is at present in judicial custody following his arrest for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore chit fund scam.Mohanty had claimed that he came to know about Sethy when he was intending to sell his land in CDA locality in Cuttack and he had no knowledge about the background of AT Group.Sethy had purchased the house from a former Judge of the Orissa High Court who had obtained a plot under discretionary quota.The post of Advocate General is still lying vacant as the State government was yet to appoint anyone for the post.Mohanty was produced before the CBI court in Bhubaneswar in the evening, and the court remanded him to CBI custody for two days.