BHUBANESWAR: The economic offences wing (EOW) of the state Crime Branch here on Tuesday arrested Pranati Dash , a director of Flourish Development India Limited, a chit fund company that allegedly duped investors of nearly Rs 2 crore.Her husband Prasanna Kumar Dash and another top functionary of the company, Sriballabh Prasad Nayak were arrested by the EOW on July 17, 2013. When asked about the delay in arresting Pranati, EOW said her complicity was ascertained only a few days ago. "Our investigation is a continuous process. Investigating officer found evidence against her in the scam and arrested her," said additional director general of police (Crime Branch) Santosh Upadhaya So far, EOW arrested total five key functionaries of Flourish Development India Limited in the alleged chit fund scam. While company director Aditya Kumar Bisoi was netted on October 21, 2013, another employee, identified as Pradeep Dash was arrested on December 10, 2014.Crime Branch sources said the company started its business in different districts in 2006 and collected over Rs two crore from 40,000 investors. The company, which had opened its head office in Sishupalgarh area here, did a vanishing act in June 2012. Cheating cases were registered against the company at Baliguda in Kandhamal district in January 2012 and Barpali in Bargarh district in March 2013. The EOW took up the Baliguda case in June 2012 and Barpali case in July 2013. Police in both the districts then arrested eight employees of the company before EOW took over the investigation.The Ponzi firm had ventured into real estate, production, music, and tourism and hospitality business by allegedly diverting public money collected through the money circulation wing.On December 23, 2013, the EOW moved the finance department to attach the Flourish property, including 251 acres land, 2 luxurious cars, and frozen bank deposits worth over Rs 12 lakh and Rs 1.52 lakh in cash. On January 18, 2014 the state government ordered attachment of the movable and immovable assets of the company.The firm was in the process of constructing a hotel in Puri, EOW sources said. "Our investigation is still on. We are looking for the company's other assets," another EOW officer said. Sources said the company operates bus services in Odisha and runs a public school at Bhubaneswar. The company had in 2010-11 promised to generate employment for nearly 10,000 people within a span of five years.

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