Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is gearing up to bring the Seashore group, a money deposit collection company, under its scanner. The move comes close on the heels of grilling sessions in the Artha Tatwa case.

The central investigating agency has received the bulk of documents related to activities of the Seashore group from the crime branch, which was earlier handling the case.

Sources said the agency was in the process of giving final touches to its dossier on Seashore chief Prashant Dash, whose political connections have been a matter of public debate.

“We are almost ready and will start cracking down on the company as soon as we have done with our questioning in the Artha Tatwa case,” said a senior official, associated with the investigation. Sources said the central agency might take help of the state police officials in the Seashore group due to shortage of staff members.

In a related development, Prashant Dash, who is in jail, was today produced in the court of chief judicial court magistrate, Koraput, for the hearing of his bail plea, but the hearing could not take place. The case will be taken up tomorrow for hearing.

The group is alleged to have duped over 1.5 lakh investors to the tune of Rs 1,700 crore. Former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik today said: “How could the government sign a number of MoUs in the field of tourism, co-operative and health care with the Seashore group? It has become party to the crimes of the company by signing the MoUs.”

He claimed that the state crime branch had got enough evidence about the activities of the group, but it remained silent. “Once the CBI starts the probe, the entire government machinery will be exposed. No one, including the chief minister, will be spared,” said Patnaik.

In another development, the CBI has asked nearly 40 nationalised and private banks to furnish details of transactions of the AT group to trace its money trail. Many bank officials today turned up at the CBI office, along with their records. Besides the AT group, the CBI will also probe into the activities of another 43 companies. So far, it has conducted raids on Middas Touch, Nava Diganta Capital Services Limited, Green India Finance and Saradha Group.

The Middas Touch Group of company having branches in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha, had siphoned off money to the tune of Rs 100 crore from thousands of investors across the state.

In connection with Nava Diganta Capital Services Limited, the CBI has raided the house of BJD MP from Mayurbhanj Ramchandra Hansdah, former BJD MLA of Keonjhar Subarna Nayak and former BJP MLA from Nuapada district Hitesh Bagarti.

The Green India has reportedly siphoned off money to the tune of Rs 100 crore from investors across the state.