Chit-fund scam accused held in West Bengal, to be brought to Odisha: CBI

The CBI has arrested the proprietor of DNB Food Processing Private Limited, Debabrata Dutta, an accused in a chit-fund scam case who was on the run, officials said on Sunday.

The accused was held from West Bengal’s Siliguri on August 28 and will be produced before a court in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, they added. It is alleged that Dutta had collected more than `17 crore from gullible investors, luring them with the promise of attractive returns on their investment.

“The accused, then proprietor of DNB Food Processing Pvt. Ltd, in a criminal conspiracy with others, had misappropriated funds to the tune of Rs 17,22,39,453, illegally collected from gullible depositors. The accused was absconding and did not cooperate with the investigation,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. Dutta was declared an absconder in the chargesheet filed on December 26, 2022, after eight years of investigation into the alleged scam.

“Non Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against him on August 5, 2024. The accused was traced on the basis of source information and finally, arrested on August 28 from Siliguri, West Bengal. He is being brought on transit remand from Siliguri and will be produced before the competent court in Bhubaneswar,” the spokesperson of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.