Bhubaneswar, Aug. 25: The CBI, today took chairman-cum-managing director of Artha Tatwa (AT) Group Pradeep Sethy and another group director Srikrushna Padhi in 10-day remand.

The move assumes significance as the CBI has taken in remand two other company directors — Sambit Kumar Khuntia and Jyotiprakash Joyprakash — after taking over the case from police.

“During raids, we have got several vital clues and will interrogate both Sethy and Padhi to extract more information to find the link of the company with other influential people,” said a CBI official.

Sethy today raised suspicion on the investigation conducted by the police as the cops did not initiate any action against 22 persons, who had availed themselves of financial benefits from the company.

“I was surprised by the police inaction, as I named 22 persons who had taken financial benefits from the company. Instead of initiating actions against them, the police only opened a bank account asking them to return the money,” Sethy told mediapersons on the court premises.

Sethy was today produced in the court of special chief judicial magistrate, CBI, for hearing on the remand petition filed by the central agency.

Though Kharavela Nagar police opened a bank account last year to deposit the money, so far only one builder has responded. The builder had deposited Rs 30 lakh in June, which came close on the heels of the Supreme Court’s order on May 6 for a CBI probe into the alleged money siphoning by 44 money deposit collection companies, including AT, in the state.

Sethy said that as many as 55 influential persons, including politicians, had availed themselves of financial benefits of Rs 65 crore from the company.

“I will share all the information that I have kept with the CBI,” said Sethy.

The CBI on August 16 raided 60 locations, including house of BJD’s Banki legislator Pravat Tripathy, for their alleged links with the company. Besides, the investigating agency had also seized several photographs, which showed Sethy in the company of BJD leaders.