CBI interrogates Odisha cricket officials over chit fund scam

Bhubaneswar, Nov 18 (IANS) Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) honorary secretary Asirbad Behera was on Tuesday interrogated by the CBI for his alleged links with chit fund firm Artha Tatwa group in Odisha.

Behera and four other OCA officials were interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the cricket body's suspect dealings with the Artha Tatwa group. The OCA officials were questioned for the third time on Tuesday.

Artha Tatwa group chief Pradip Sethy, who is in jail, had sponsored the Odisha Premier League (OPL) tournament, an event modelled on the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sethy had paid Rs.1 crore towards sponsorship fees.

"The Artha Tatwa group had sponsored the OCA to the extent of Rs.1 crore. While the OCA spent Rs.55 lakh in sending the Odisha Ranji team to Australia in 2011-12, Rs.57 lakh was spent for former Australian player Michael Bevan, who trained the Odisha Ranji players in 2011, Rs.30 lakh towards the logo and official jerseys for the senior, junior or women's teams," OCA treasurer Satya Mohanty told media persons after coming out of the CBI office.

Sanjay Behera, secretary of the Football Association of Odisha (FAO) and OCA secretary Behera's son, was quizzed on Monday by the CBI over the chit fund scam.

The CBI had raided the OCA office and the house of Asirbad Behera on August 17th.