Bhubaneswar, March 13 (IANS) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police on Thursday arrested businessman and youth BJD leader Soumya Shankar Chakra a.k.a. Raja over his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of a cooperative firm’s funds worth several crores.
The EOW arrested Chakra in connection with a case registered on February 7, 2025, on the basis of the allegations of a villager residing near the Gandhamardan Mines, Keonjhar district.
Speaking to media persons at Cuttack, ADG Crime Branch, Vinaytosh Mishra on Thursday said that the villagers residing near the Gandhamardan hills established the Gandhamardhan Loading Agency & Transporting Cooperative Society Ltd.
In Keonjhar, with aim to work for the economic betterment of the inhabitants of the mining affected areas through the profit earned by the society from loading of iron ores from the mines in Keonjhar district.
He said that the complainant has alleged that some influential persons misappropriated the funds of the cooperative society between 2017-18 and 2023-24.
Mishra said that the loading agency had earned around Rs 185 crore from 2017-18 to March 2024.
The ADG Crime Branch asserted that the EOW has so far ascertained that the society’s President Manas Barik and Secretary, Utkal Das, respectively, with the help of some other local influential persons had defrauded huge sums of money.
“The accused persons mentioned that Rs 34 crore out of the society’s funds have been used in peripheral development. We had written letters to the Block Development Officers of the two blocks of the area who informed in their written replies that no development work was carried out in the area by the accused. They had mentioned about conducting site development but the OMC (Odisha Mining Corporation) has denied any site development work in any mines in the area. They have misappropriated the whole amount of Rs 34 crore,” said Mishra.
He stated that Rs 9.1 crore was paid to one Maa Kali Petrol Pump, which had not supplied any fuel to GML (Gandhamardan Loading Agency).
As per the statement of the petrol pump’s owner in the court, the fuel was used for the vehicles of Chakra and the payment was being done by GML. Mishra said that around Rs 33 crore was distributed to local villagers so that they always came in support of accused Chakra.
“Around Rs 74 crore have been shown as loading charges and labour payment. The corresponding Muster Roll and vouchers indicate huge mismatch,” claimed Mishra.
He said that Chakra has founded Sankar Mineral, Shankar Transporting Shankar Roadways and Sankar Project etc., to run his business.
“As prima facie case is established against Chakra in connection with misappropriation of society funds worth Rs 9.1 crore, he was picked up for further interrogation and will be arrested today. We have also seized 42 vehicles and two screening plants belonging to Raja Chakra,” added Mishra.
He also informed that the EOW has so far frozen several bank accounts and frozen Rs 25 lakh of Chakra. Notably, the President and Secretary of the society were earlier arrested by the EOW in the case.
–IANS
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