New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against a West Bengal based journalist in a chit fund scam. According to sources, accused Suman Chattopadhyay was also running a Bengali newspaper and by publishing an advertisement of I-core group he attracted a phenomenal rise in the collection of deposits. These depositors are from Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and other places.

CBI, while charge sheeting the director of I-core, claimed that he has cheated the general public to the tune of Rs 2,421 crore.

Chattopadhyay was running a group named Disha Productions and Media Pvt Ltd where he was the director.

The accused was arrested in December last year under IPC sections 4, 5, 6 of prize chits and money circulation. CBI sources claimed that the investigation revealed Chattopadhyay had received a huge amount of money from the said Ponzi scheme company through which he liquidated his outstanding liabilities in a nationalised bank. The charge sheet has been filed in Bhubaneshwar.

CBI after arresting the journalist had said, "The investigation has revealed that funds collected illegally by the I-Core Group were allegedly diverted in the accounts of DPMPL as well as a personal account of Chattopadhyay. The CBI in 2014 started its probe into the affairs of the I-Core Group following a Supreme Court order asking the central agency to investigate all non-Saradha (Group) fund mobilising companies. The Managing Directors of I-Core E-Services Limited, Anukul Maity, and his wife Kanika were arrested in 2017 by CBI on charges of cheating.”