Fire Breaks Out In Office Of Chit Fund Company Under CBI Probe In Odisha’s Balasore

Balasore: Fire broke out in the office of chit-fund company Green Ray International Ltd (GRIL), which is facing CBI investigation for multi-crore scam, in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday.

The office building of GRIL at Bada Bazar in Jaleswar of the district had remained closed after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials seized some documents and sealed it. The local people found smoke coming out of the office in the afternoon and informed the Fire Brigade.

The Fire services personnel managed to extinguish the fire with much difficulty as they could not access the building. The losses in the fire will be estimated after the company officials are allowed go inside, said sources.

While the exact reason of the fire has not been ascertained, the role of some miscreants in starting the fire cannot be ruled out, the sources added.

It may be noted that the GRIL started its operation in the district in 2012. It collected money from the people by promising to pay back with high returns through different schemes. As the company did not pay the promised interest nor returned the investment, the matter was highlighted in the media.

Initially, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch started investigation into the scam. It was revealed during the investigation that the company had duped the investors of more than Rs 1,000 crore.

Later, the CBI took over the case after it came to light that the company’s operation also spread to outside states. The Central agency arrested the company’s managing director Mir Sahiruddin in 2017.