Odisha police have arrested a builder in connection with a Rs 9.6 crore fraud involving the District Mineral Foundation, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat financial crimes and recover misappropriated funds.
Key Points
- A builder has been arrested for allegedly swindling Rs 9.6 crore from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.
- The fraud involved the illegal transfer of funds using clone cheques from the DMF trust account.
- Police have blocked Rs 5.04 crore and frozen Rs 13.56 lakh across multiple accounts in connection with the scam.
- The arrested builder is believed to be part of a larger gang operating across multiple states.
- Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the fraud gang, including the mastermind.
The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police arrested a man for his alleged involvement in swindling Rs 9.6 crore of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Mayurbhanj, an official said on Thursday.
One builder, Brajesh Mishra, was arrested from Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, and he was brought to Bhubaneswar on transit remand after being produced in a court in the neighbouring state, the EOW officer said.
The arrest was made on the basis of a police case registered by the chief manager of a nationalised bank, Baripada branch.
Details of the DMF Fraud
According to the EOW, a gang of fraudsters managed to transfer Rs 9.56 crore from the account of the DMF trust of Zilla Parishad, Mayurbhanj, by producing clone cheques in April 2024.
Out of the illegally transferred amount, Rs 5.04 crore was blocked, and Rs 13.56 lakh lying in 33 accounts have been frozen, they said.
During the investigation, the police officers found that an amount of Rs 98 lakh and Rs 49 lakh had been transferred to the bank accounts of Mishra's two construction companies. Of which, Rs 14.19 lakh was transferred to Mishra's own bank account, and the rest amount to some other accounts with ill intention, the officer said.
Ongoing Investigation and Wider Network
Mishra is a member of a larger gang having complex networking in different states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, he said.
After his arrest, EOW has obtained important clues about the entire gang. They have been doing these scams for the last four years. An investigation is in progress to reach out to the other fraudsters, including the boss of the gang, he said.
Earlier, three accused persons of the case-Pomesh Tembhare, Ghanshyam Ahuja and Ajmir Mondal were arrested from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, respectively.
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