Enforcement directorate may probe Odisha MLA’s ‘money laundering’ activities’
BHUBANESWAR: Gopalpur MLA and former minister Pradeep Panigrahy may come under the scanner of the enforcement directorate (ED) following his arrest by the state crime branch on Thursday in connection with a multi-crore corporate job scam.
“We have requested the crime branch to share the FIR copy with us. We may register a money laundering case and probe Panigrahy’s financial transactions,” a senior ED officer told TOI.
The development assumes significance as the vigilance directorate already roped in the ED to probe the alleged money laundering activities committed by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash, who were arrested by the anti-corruption wing on November 27 for allegedly possessing Rs 9.3 crore disproportionate assets.
Akash, who was set to marry Panigrahy’s daughter this month, is the prime accused in the alleged job fraud, involving collection of crores of rupees from several youths on the pretext of giving them employment in Tata Motors. MLA Panigrahy, who was expelled from ruling BJD on November 29 for ‘anti-people’ activities, has been accused of promoting Akash’s illegal recruitment racket and collecting money from job aspirants on behalf of Akash.
BJD’s Rajya Sabha member and national spokesperson Amar Patnaik on Friday took to Twitter and said Panigrahy received about Rs 2.5 crore in his account in a private bank at Berhampur in the last four months. “In the last four months, you received about Rs 2.5 crore. From what businesses Sir?,” Patnaik tweeted. Patnaik further tweeted, asking Panigrahy whether he collected the money from sand mafia and liquor barons in Ganjam district.
Before his arrest, Panigrahy refuted all allegations against him and said the BJD hatched a conspiracy against him just because he had raised his voice against Covid-19 ‘mismanagement’ in Ganjam.