Bhubaneswar, May 7: The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch of Odisha Police today registered second criminal case against Saradha Group chief Sudipto Sen on the charges of duping about 6,000 investors in Puri district, official sources said.
The EOW personnel today recorded statements of a number of investors from Puri town, Nimapara and Sakhigopal area before registering the case.
Though a number of agents of Saradha Group came forward to record their statements, the EOW on initial phase refused to accept their versions on the basis that they too were among the accused persons who cheated the investors, the sources said.
Saradha Group has closed its office at the holy town since mid-April and its officials vanished from the place after the mass duping came to light in Kolkata.
The EOW was likely to seal Saradha's office in a day or two as it did in Balasore, the official said.
A large number of investors, meanwhile, met Law Minister Maheswar Mohanty seeking the state government's immediate intervention into the issue.
The EOW had registered the first criminal case against the Saradha Group on April 30 for allegedly duping investors in Balasore and Puri districts.
In Balasore and Puri, the two major centres of the group, people have invested above Rs 50 crore and Rs 20 crore respectively, preliminary investigation has revealed.
The EOW personnel on May 3 broke open the office of the Saradha Group at Balasore and seized documents.
The Group has closed all its branch offices in the state, including a small one at the state capital.