BHUBANESWAR: A court here on Thursday allowed the state Crime Branch to take Akash Pathak, son of suspended Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Abhay Kant Pathak, on 5-day police remand from Friday in connection with the high profile job scam in the name of Tata Motors.
Akash had allegedly taken crores of rupees from several youths by promising them jobs in Tata Motors, the biggest ever job scam that surfaced in Odisha. Pradeep Panigrahy, a three-time MLA and former minister, is a co-accused in the case and currently in judicial custody following his arrest by the Crime Branch on December 3.
Akash and his father Abhay Kant, who was the additional principal chief conservator of forests (plan, programme & afforestation) in the state, were arrested by the state vigilance directorate on November 27 on charges of amassing huge disproportionate assets.
“Akash, who was arrested by the vigilance in the corruption case, is also the main accused in the job scam. We had prayed to the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) about Akash’s 5-day police remand for interrogation. The court has granted his remand from Friday,” a senior Crime Branch officer said. The Crime Branch is likely to move the court, seeking the MLA Panigrahy’s remand to confront him with Akash during the interrogation.
Akash, who allegedly cheated job aspirants by impersonating as a top functionary of Tata Motors and gave them fake appointment letters, reportedly had not disclosed much before the vigilance officers in their custody a few days ago. Sources said Akash continued to claim before the vigilance that he was a top functionary of Tata Motors in Pune.
“We strongly suspect he was suffering from a high level of delusion or any other psychological problems. Tata Motors already denied Akash as their employee or ex-employee. Despite being exposed, Akash still claimed he was with Tata,” the officer said.
A few days ago, the commissionerate police here also registered a case against Akash and his father Abhay Kant for allegedly cheating a travel agency of nearly Rs 65 lakh.
Considering the magnitude of the alleged corruption and economic offences committed by Abhay Kant and Akash, the vigilance had earlier roped in the enforcement directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) department to probe their money laundering and benami properties. The father-son duo are now being probed by the state vigilance, Crime Branch, commissionerate police, ED and I-T. This is perhaps the first such case, involving probes by multiple agencies against one family in Odisha.