Odisha EOW Raids BJD Leader In Rs 35 Cr Mineral Transport Fraud Case

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations linked to vice-president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, the youth wing of the party, Soumya Sankar Chakra, for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

The raids are being carried out in Keonjhar, Koida, Dhamra, and Gopalpur, according to sources.

This followed his 10-hour interrogation over his alleged involvement in a fraud and misappropriation case amounting to over Rs 35 crore in Keonjhar district. He owns a transport and logistics business. “Our current investigation and searches are in progress in connection with the misappropriation of over Rs 35 crore in Keonjhar’s Gandhamardhan loading agency and transporting cooperative society limited. Chakra’s role is being investigated,” EOW’s SP Dillip Kumar Tripathy told TOI.

The searches were conducted in Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Gopalpur on Tuesday. So far, around 200 ‘benami’ (anonymous) accounts and 20 vehicles, reportedly belonging to the BJD leader, have been seized so far, the sources added.

Chakra is under scrutiny for allegedly orchestrating financial irregularities in the cooperative society established in 2006. This assumes significance since he was previously accused of orchestrating an attack on Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on October 10, 2021, when he was Keonjhar MLA and opposition chief whip.

On February 8, the EOW arrested society’s former president Manas Ranjan Barik and secretary Utkal Das in connection with the fraud. The duo in collusion with other office bearers and outsiders, had allegedly signed numerous self-cheques for crores of rupees without proper justification or documentation.

The case was initiated based on a written complaint by Biswanath Roul, who accused the office bearers of embezzling Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore.

According to EOW, documents related to labour payments, periphery development, infrastructure expenses, member compensations, and Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) deductions, were fabricated to carry out the fraud between 2017-18 and 2023-24 by the agency which handles iron ore loading from mines operated by the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).

The office bearers allegedly diverted funds in violation of the society’s by-laws, with no audits conducted since 2012 except for a special audit in 2022 prompted by local complaints, EOW official said.