Bhubaneswar, Feb. 25: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said it might take over investigation of the Oscar Group, which collected investments to the tune of Rs 230 crore between 2010 and 2014 from the people of Odisha and other states.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the state crime branch is now probing into the scam.

The CBI move came after a duped investor approached a court in Gujarat seeking a CBI probe into the scam. The EOW had arrested the chairman of the Oscar Group, Pravash Chandra Rout, on June 9 last year. Subsequent investigations revealed that the group had 49 branch offices in Odisha and 58 in Gujarat. The company had also opened six branches in Maharashtra.

Sources said three cases were lodged against the group in Gujarat. After Rout's arrest, several investors alleged that some Odia actors promoted the company. It was also alleged that BJD Rajya Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty promoted the firm through a film produced by the firm. In a scene of the film, Mohanty was seen persuading an investor to invest in the firm.

Two other actors, Uttam Mohanty and Tatwa Prakash Satpathy - popularly known as Pappu Pom Pom - also allegedly promoted the firm through stage shows in Gujarat. It is alleged that the group collected more than Rs 100 crore through its branch offices in Gujarat.

Investigation by the EOW has revealed that the Ponzi firm used the money of the investors to produce four Odia movies - To Akhire Mu, Most Wanted, Balunga Toka and Rangila Toka - under Oscar Movies and Entertainment.