BHUBANESWAR: Fresh trouble awaited suspended IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak and son Akash on Monday as the duo was slapped with three more criminal cases by Berhampur Police. Golanthara police station booked the father-son duo in connection with three cases registered against expelled BJD leader and Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy.
On December 24 and 31 last, Panigrahy was charged with cheating job aspirants on the promise of providing employment in Tata Motors. A third case was registered against the legislator on January 12 for committing a similar offence. “Initial investigation indicates that the money was transferred to accounts of Akash and Abhay. That is why they have also been booked in the three cases for their involvement in cheating the job aspirants,” said a senior officer of Berhampur police.
According to police, Prasant Kar of Tikarpada village had lodged a complaint on December 31 alleging that Panigrahy had demanded Rs 6 lakh from him for providing job to his younger brother in Tata Motors. Prasant gave Rs 3 lakh to the MLA between March and July last year but never received any communication from Tata Motors.
Similarly, Pravat Nayak of Keluapali village lodged a complaint against Panigrahy on January 12 accusing him and his brother Dillip for swindling Rs 5 lakh on the promise of a job. A fake appointment letter mentioning Pravat’s selection for the post of an assistant manager was also sent to him via an email on November 13 last year.
The Court of Special Judge, Vigilance had granted default bail to Abhay and Akash last month. However, legal tangles for them seem to be far from over as Akash and Panigrahy face a case registered by Crime Branch for job fraud. The father-son duo is also facing a cheating case registered by Kharavela Nagar police in the State Capital. The Enforcement Directorate has a case against them and is looking into their financial transactions.