BHUBANESWAR : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch has arrested the proprietor of Bhubaneswar-based CS Technologies Chandan Sahoo for his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of government subsidy amounting to Rs 6.81 crore meant for agricultural equipment supply to the farmers in the State.
CS Technologies is one of the dealers of Sheetal Agro Inputs Pvt Ltd in Jagatsinghpur district, which is at the centre of the multi-crore scam. Sheetal Agro director Manas Ranjan Dash and his brother Tapas Dash, proprietor of Mishita Enterprises (another dealer), were arrested by EOW on April 6 in connection with the case.
Sheetal Agro was registered with State Agriculture department under direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme as a manufacturing firm of equipment like transplanter machines. During financial year 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, Manas in connivance with eight dealers including CS Technologies allegedly uploaded fake invoices and information regarding supply/sale of 504 transplanters to as many farmers in 19 districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Balasore, Khurda, Kalahandi and Sambalpur and siphoned of the subsidy money worth Rs 6.81 crore.
EOW officers have established that of the total transplanter machines claimed to have been supplied by Sheetal Agro, 31 were shown to have been sold by CS Technologies.