Chit fund scam: Odisha govt suspends DSP rank officer

The Odisha government today suspended a DSP rank officer for his alleged link with the multi-crore chit fund scam.
Pramod Panda was suspended from government service 13 days after he was arrested by the CBI for his link to the Artha Tatwa Group CMD Pradeep Sethy, an official at the state Home Department said.
The suspension would take effect from December 19, the day when he was arrested by the CBI on charges of larger conspiracy and deriving undue financial benefits from the AT Group, the official said.
He is the first Odisha police officer to be arrested in the case. He was posted as DSP, district intelligence bureau (DIB), Nayagarh at the time of his arrest.

Earlier, the special CBI court on December 24 had rejected Panda's bail petition and sent him on a five-day CBI remand.