BHUBANESWAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch has initiated proceedings to seal BJD leader Soumya Sankar Chakra alias Raja’s farmhouse over allegations of encroaching upon the government land.
Chakra, the state vice-president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, was arrested in March over his alleged links with Gandhamardan Loading Agency and Transporting Cooperative Society Ltd, which is reportedly involved in a scam of Rs 150 crore.
Addressing the press on Friday, EOW SP Dillip Tripathy said Chakra owns a farmhouse spread over 11.1 acre of land at Gopalpur in Keonjhar’s Sadar tehsil. “Revenue department officials had carried out the measurement of his farmhouse and found out that he had encroached upon at least 7.4 acre of government land,” he said.
EOW officers ascertained that Chakra’s farmhouse legal area is over 3.7 acre of land and is registered in his wife’s name. “Steps are being taken to restore the encroached government land. He was earlier booked in two cases by the police over similar offences,” said Tripathy.
EOW officers said they have filed the preliminary chargesheet of the case but investigation is still continuing. “It is a massive scam and more arrests will likely be made in the coming days,” they said.
The EOW is also collecting sufficient evidence to make the case watertight. It had registered an FIR in this regard on February 7 after receiving a complaint of large-scale irregularities and misappropriation of funds by Gandhamardan society which was set up for the welfare of the villagers affected by Gandhamardan mines in Keonjhar.
Investigation revealed the loading agency had earned around Rs 185 crore from 2017 to March 2024. Probe suggested its former president Manas Ranjan Barik and secretary Utkal Das in connivance with some influential local persons swindled huge amount of money.