Police seek ED help to trace Jena's money trail

Admin   |   16 March, 2016   |   875   |   3980

Bhubaneswar / Berhampur: Posing more trouble for former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena, the Berhampur police have sought the intervention of enforcement directorate (ED) and CBI to trace his money trail and suspected links with a chit fund scam respectively.

"I have written to ED to probe Jena's money management. So far we have traced around 50 movable and immovable assets, owned by Jena, his family, relatives and associates. The properties included 12 vehicles," SP (Berhampur) Sarthak Sarangi told TOI.

Though police are yet to assess the market value of the properties, they presume that the total cost of the assets would be not less than Rs 100 crore. "I have also written to CBI to find out whether Jena was involved in chit fund scam, involving Green India. We have also found that Jena was running a gutka manufacturing unit in Vizag. A team has been sent to probe it," Sarangi said.

In related development, police on Tuesday detained a Congress corporator of Berhampur Municipal Corporation in connection with a land grabbing case.

R Murali Mohan, corporator (ward 5) and a close aide of former Sanakhemundi MLA Ramesh Jena, has allegedly grabbed an acre at Gandhi Nagar belonging to an individual by threatening him, police said. Some others, including some builders and the former MLA, are suspected to be involved in the case, police added.

"We are interrogating Murali and some others in this case. Those found involved in the case will be booked," said SP (Berhampur) Sarthak Sarangi.

Earlier, police had arrested Ranjit Nayak, a Congress corporator (ward 6) and a strong supporter of Jena in an extortion case.

Police have decided to bring Santosh Behera, one of the close aides of Jena, on remand to gather evidences against the former MLA. Behera was arrested by Bhubaneswar police on Monday. Police seized several documents in connection with Jena from him.