Office of the economic offence wing in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 20: Joint director of the CBI Rajiv Singh today met senior officials of the state government and sought co-operation in the investigation of the multi-crore money deposit collection scam.

This is the first visit of a senior CBI official following the Supreme Court order on May 9 asking the central agency to conduct the probe.

The meeting was attended, among others, by chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, home secretary Vipin Saxena and additional DG (crime branch) B.K. Sharma. However, both the state government and officials of the central agency were tight-lipped on the issue that transpired in the meeting.

The visit of the CBI slueths, one day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the government, assumes significance. There have been allegations that some ruling party leaders, including MLAs, had taken favours from these sham companies.

The CBI has brought activities of as many as 44 fraudulent companies, including the big-time operators such as Seashore Group, Artha Tatwa, the Bengal-based Saradha group, Astha and Flourish India, under its scanner following directives from the apex court. According to the state government’s estimation, the scam related to the default was around Rs 4,375 crore. However, investigations have revealed that the money involved in it could touch around a staggering Rs 20,000 crore.

On May 13, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sought co-operation of the state government in dealing with various cases related to the money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) relating to the sham companies.

Coinciding with the visit of the CBI officials to the state, the economic offences wing of the crime branch today asked for the finance department’s nod to confiscate properties belonging to the money circulation deposit company Ashore.

ADG B.K. Sharma said: “We have sought permission from the government to confiscate properties, including 28 acres and Rs 85 crore deposits in the bank.” The Ashore group had business transaction in Balasore and Mayurbhanj district.

The market price of the 28 acres is valued at Rs 5 crore, an official said.

The crime branch, which was entrusted with the probe, has so far lodged 441 cases against 163 shady companies with charge sheets filed in 335 cases. It has proposed attachment of property of 10 companies of which the interim government’s approval for attachment has been granted with regard to eight companies.