One More Fraudster Arrested For Swindling Rs 5 Crore Farmers’ Subsidy In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Bhubaneswar, has apprehended one more fraudster in connection with alleged misappropriation of government subsidy meant for supplying agricultural equipment to the farmers in Odisha.

The arrested has been identified as Bidyadhara Behera, former Regional Manager of Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd. He was nabbed from Bhadrak for allegedly fraudulently using the company’s login ID and misappropriating Rs 5 crore subsidy amount extended by the government, an EOW release.

He was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by director of the company KG Sree Charan.

The investigation revealed that Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based company, had a branch office at Baramunda, Bhubaneswar, and was supplying paddy translanters to farmers across the country. It was also delivering services and supplies to the Odisha government under various subsidised schemes to promote agriculture.

The release further said that Behera was earlier working as Regional Manager in the company, which was authorised to register the sale of machinery in Odisha and facilitate subsidies to the beneficiaries/farmers by accessing the Agriculture Department website www.agrisnetodisha.ori.nic.in. He used the login id and password meant exclusively for Varusapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd from 2017-21 to upload the details of more than 556 paddy transplanters with fake engine and chassis numbers of machinery and names and photos of an equal number of farmers/beneficiaries in 18 districts of Odisha, purportedly showing issue/supply of those to them.

Soon after the release/credit of subsidy amounts into the accounts of beneficiary farmers, the accused used to lure them by giving them some token amount and grabbing the subsidy amount. While the cost of the transplanter ranges from Rs 2.33 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, the government was releasing a subsidy amount ranging from Rs 93,320 to Rs 1.50 lakh for each machine.

“Of the 556 paddy transplanters, 46 were shown to have been sold/supplied by Bidyadhara Behera, proprietor of Kalpana Motors, who was the authorised dealer of Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd. He in criminal conspiracy with main accused Srinath Rana had provided fake engine and chassis number of 46 transplanters shown issued in favour of beneficiaries/farmers in Bhadrak and Keonjhar districts,” the release added.

Rana was arrested in September 2021 for allegedly embezzling government subsidies to the tune of nearly Rs 6 crore on the pretext of selling agricultural machinery and equipment to farmers.