Bhubaneswar: Three people were arrested for money laundering in a CBI raid at the Bridge and Roof Co. Ltd located near Ram Mandir in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
Simultaneous raids are being conducted at 11 other places across the country of which five are in Odisha. The arrested have been identified as Chanchal Mukherjee, head of the company's Odisha and Bengal units, senior officer Santosh Moharana and contractor Devdutt Mohapatra.
The breakthrough came in a major late-night operation when the CBI team from New Delhi intercepted an SUV (bearing registration number OD 05 BV 9999) in the Nayapalli area of Bhubaneshwar with a large cache of money. The seizure of the amount raised suspicion of the involvement of a government-linked company in the alleged money laundering case. The vehicle was reportedly being tracked by CBI following intelligence about suspicious money transactions.
The investigative agency suspects that a private firm was allegedly trying to influence the officials of Kolkata-based Bridge and Roof Company, (India) Limited, a Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) and associated with various government projects.
Investigations are underway to identify the origin and intended recipient of the seized money, sources in CBI said. CBI suspects that the cash was being transported to influence government officials in projects allegedly overseen by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
Sources indicate that CBI received a tip-off about the likely involvement of government officials in such under-the-table financial dealings. Acting on the information, CBI conducted raids in as many as 11 locations in and outside the state to uncover further details.
Also Read:
