CBI files chargesheet against Green India

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) — which is probing the Orissa scam — Tuesday filed its first chargesheet against chit fund group Green India, accusing the company of defrauding depositors to the tune of Rs 30 crore at least.

The 188-page chargesheet filed in the special CBI court here, by investigating officer of the case S K Samal and CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra, charged three top executives of the company under various sections of the IPC and under section 456 of the Prize Chit and Money Circulation (Banning) Scheme Act, 1978. The charge- sheet names as many as 300 people as witnesses in the case.

Chief Executive Officer of Green India Pradeep Singh and directors Sunil Panda and Jitendra Mishra have been charged under sections 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 409 and 509 of the IPC. Two of the three are now in judicial custody. CBI sources said it was only a preliminary chargesheet to adhere to the 180-day deadline after the filing of FIR. CBI had filed 44 FIRs against as many chit fund companies in June this year after taking over the probe from state CID and Bhubaneswar Police.