EOW Takes Golden Baba On Remand

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on Saturday took self-styled Golden Baba alias Jyoti Ranjan Beura on one-day remand for interrogation in connection with two cases of fraud registered against him.

The Commissionerate Police had arrested Beura from Chandrasekharpur in Bhubaneswar on December 31 for duping a resident of Keonjhar district.

The Commissionerate Police on January 2 had prayed the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar to take the fraudster on a five-day remand to interrogate him on his sources of income and other links.

The Crime Branch ADG, Santosh Upadhyay, informed that the EOW will probe two financial fraud amounting to Rs 12.04 crore and Rs 4.05 crore.

A total of 19 cases are pending against Beura in various police stations in the state, he said.

Golden Baba was also seen at various BJD programmes. The BJP and Odisha Pradesh Chhatra Congress had demanded the arrest of political leaders, who are linked to Beura.
BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty said some BJD leaders are linked to Beura as their pictures are now doing the rounds on social media.

Activists of the students’ wing of the State Congress on Friday had a scuffle with the police while it was on the way to gherao Naveen Niwas demanding the arrest of some BJD leaders including Bhubaneswar Mayor Anant Narayan Jena and BJD Youth leader Chinmay Sahu for close links with Golden Baba. Police later arrested six activists including Itish Pradhan, convener of Students’ Congress.