Bhubaneswar: Eight teams of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch carried out extensive searches across 11 locations in Rayagada and Bhubaneswar, including the residence of former Rajya Sabha MP N Bhaskar Rao, and seized several important documents in connection with an alleged Rs 80-crore fraud involving a local truck owners’ association.
Among incriminating papers seized by EOW officials were Independent Auditor’s Report of Arun Power Projects Ltd, letter of Undersecretary to Odisha government, Energy Department for cancellation of allotment of 10 MW Hatipathar SHEP and NOC of RCS, Cuttack in favour of Arun Power Project Ltd, lease agreements, registration certificate, letter for allotment of TAN, LPG distributorship agreement relating to Sri Aditya Enterprises, RoR in the name of Nekkanti Bhaskar Rao.
Cash worth Rs 15 lakh was also recovered, besides audit report and acknowledgement of Income Tax return in favour of Sri Aditya Enterprises and its proprietor Krishna Chaitany Nekkanti, bank instruments etc.
Search operations were carried out at five Rayagada locations and five Bhubaneswar addresses.
In Rayagada, EOW raided residences of Nekkenti Bhaskar Rao at Raniguda Farm; B Manmadha Rao at Pitala Street; G Krishna at Rayat Colony; office of Rayagada Truck Owners’ Association at Main Road, opposite Kapilas Hotel; Aditya HP Enterprises Gas Agency at Gautam Nagar.
In Bhubaneswar, the agency searched Aditya Industries Pvt. Ltd at Plot No.65, Forest Park; Arun Power Project Ltd at M-167, Baramunda, HB Colony; Sri Aditya Logistics Pvt. Ltd; Sri Aditya Trading & Marketing Pvt. Ltd, both at Plot No.223, Bhimpur; Shree Balaji Real Estates & Agri Developers; Sri Aditya Real Estate & Agri Developers, both at Plot No.145, Block-B, Sector-A, Mancheswar Industrial Estate.
The case relates to large-scale financial irregularities, criminal misappropriation of funds, extortion and criminal intimidation involving the office-bearers of Rayagada Truck Owners’ Association. The principal accused, in connivance with other office-bearers, had been collecting money from truck owners since 2005 under different heads, purportedly including contributions for funding Naxalite activities.
The search operation in three locations is still underway.
