The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch arrested one more person on the charge of misappropriating Government subsidy of Rs 6 crore.
The accused was identified as Lenin Choudhury, a resident of Pakelpada under the Mahulpali police station in Sambalpur district.
Initially, a case was registered in connection with the fraud at the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar on the basis of a complaint filed by KG Sree- Charan, director of Varushapriya Agrotech Private Limted, a Bangalore-based firm.
The complainant had alleged that one Srinath Rana, who was earlier working as regional manager wiof the company, had misappropriated subsidy amount of Rs 6 crore extended by the Odisha Government by fraudulently using the company’s login ID.
During investigation, it was found that Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt. Ltd, having its branch office in Bhubaneswar, was dealing with the supply of paddy transplanters to farmers and rendered its services and supplies to the State Government under various subsidised schemes in order to promote agriculture.
The EOW had earlier arrested Srinath Rana who was unathorised to register the sale of machineries in Odisha and to facilitate subsidies to the beneficiaries and farmers by accessing the Odisha Government’s (Agriculture Department website www.agrisnetodisha.ori.nic.in by using the login id and the password meant exclusively for the company.
Rana, who was also the proprietor of Tarini Auto Agency in Baleswar, allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with the accused Lenin Choudhury, the owner of Khushi Agrotech, Gobindpur in Sambalpur and others to fraudulently uploaded the details of more than 500 paddy transplanters with fake engine and chassis numbers of machineries (shown supplied or sold by their agencies).
“It has been ascertained that out of the above mentioned 500 paddy transplanters, 131 transplanters were shown to have been sold, supplied by M Khushi Agrotech. The owner Lenin Choudhury, along with Rana, had provided fake engine and chassis numbers of 131 transplanters shown issued in favour of 131 beneficiaries or farmers of Sambalpur and Jharsuguda district. The total misappropriation amounts to Rs 6 crore,” the EOW said in a release.