The issue of the land deal of Cuttack-Choudwar MlA Pravat Biswal and his wife laxmi Bilasini with Seashore Group CMD Prashant Dash has taken a new mode after the CBI sent the agreement paper to the forensic laboratory to verify authenticity of Dash’s signature on the paper.
After getting test report from the laboratory, CBI sources said, the investigating agency would decide its next course of action. “If the investigating agency finds the signature fake, the MlA may face difficulties to prove him innocent,” the sources said.
The CBI had clarified during its interrogation of the Biswal couple on November 21 that it was unclear whether the MlA had returned the money back to Dash or not.
The Biswal couple had entered into the deal over a patch of land measuring 1.25 acres at Benapur village in Jajpur district for Rs 29.25 lakh. The deal was almost complete except registration, and Dash had given two cheques of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh in April 2012 in favour of the MlA’s wife.
But after the alleged May 29, 2012 anti-Naveen Patnaik coup bid by Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra failed, the Seashore was unwilling to purchase the land and asked the couple to return the money.
laxmi Bilasini in her clarification to mediapersons had said they had returned the money in July 2012 though they did not get a receipt of payment. This led to suspicion as to how the couple returned the money without caring to demand a receipt.
Meanwhile on Friday, senior journalist of Odia daily Pragativadi lalit Pattajoshi was summoned to the CBI office here and interrogated reportedly on his alleged link with broker Subhankar Naik, who was working for the Seashore. Pattajoshi’s houses here were raided by the CBI on November 20.
