Chit Fund Scam: CBI arrests Model Preeti Bhatia

The Odisha chit fund scam has taken an interesting turn, as the CBI arrested Mumbai Model Preeti Bhatia in connection with the AT Group chit fund scam. Preeti was earlier grilled four times by the CBI sleuths. She failed to explain why she took Rs 4 crore from Artha Tatwa Group. Before her arrest, Preeti tried to put up a volt face, saying “I was not involved in any stupid chit fund scam.”.

The CBI reportedly established a clear link between Preeti Bhatia and AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy. Sethy was a Director in Preeti’s so-called entertainment and event management company. Some unconfirmed sources even reported that Preeti and Mumbai-based stock broker Deepak Parekh were blackmailing Pradeep Sethy, using a MMS clip.

The CBI had raided Preeti Bhatia’s Mumbai residence on August 16. Later, she was summoned to Bhubaneswar for interrogation in September and October. Preeti produced some documents before the CBI related to her business links with the AT group. However, the CBI was not satisfied with her arguments and claims and finally took her into custody.