Bhubaneswar: In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a supplementary charge sheet in the Designated Court, Bhubaneswar against former Honorary Secretary of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), Ashirbad Behera in connection with money laundering by ponzi firm Artha Tatwa (AT).
CBI officials said that the OCA and Behera promoted AT group to enhance the credibility of the group which led to investment by a number of people.
According to CBI, the OCA has allegedly received a sum of Rs 1 crore from AT group in the garb of sponsorship of the Odisha Ranji team and title sponsorship of Odisha Premier League held in 2011”.
Notably, on August 16, 2014, the CBI had raided the OCA office and Behera’s residence. Sources said that around Rs 5 crore had been invested in the first edition of OPL.
Apart from the franchise fees, which range between Rs 27 lakh to Rs 55 lakh, each franchise is said to have spent around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh during the tournament. As many as 10 franchises had participated in the tournament.
Besides the CBI had also interrogated Behera several times for his alleged links with the AT group.