By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch hsa arrested two persons on charges of cheating of Rs 1.17 crore from a businessman by posing as IAS and PWD officer.
The two accused persons have been identified as Suryamani Tripathy and Amit Swain. While Suryamani was arrested from Cuttack, Amit was nabbed from Bhubaneswar. They were forwarded to the court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar today.
The matter came to fore after one Rikab Chand Manot alias Mukesh Jain, the proprietor of Rashtriya Stainless Steel, New Delhi, lodged a complaint against the duo.
As per a complaint registered by Rikab Chand Munot alias Mukesh Jain, accused persons Gahlot, Suryamani, and Amit by entering into criminal conspiracy with another accused and impersonating themselves respectively as the officers of RAW, IAS and PWD, cheated him and his son with the help of another lady who impersonated as Treasury Officer in respect of Rs 1.17 crores on the pretext of arranging/facilitating big government work orders/contracts for them in Works Department, Government of Odisha.
Mukesh had a Branch Office of M/s Rashtriya Stainless Steel at Kalinganagar, Bhubaneswar, the Proprietor of which was his son Akshay Munot @ Akshay Jain. In 2017, the complainant through one of his friends came in contact with Rajesh Gahlot, who introduced himself as an officer of RAW having many IAS officers in Odisha as his friends.
He subsequently introduced Mukesh and his son Akshay to accused Suryamani at Odisha Niwas, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi as an IAS Officer, posted as Additional Secretary to Government of Odisha in PWD (Public Works Department). They both assured Mukesh and his son to help them in getting high value government contracts/work orders under “Pradhan Mantri Yojana” in Odisha.
Subsequently, during January 2018, being called upon by Suryamani for executing Agreement with PWD, Odisha pertaining to work orders in favour of Mukesh’s firm, Mukesh & his son came to the office of EIC, Nirman Soudha, Bhubaneswar, where accused Amit was introduced to them by Suryamani as an Engineer working with PWD.
Both Suryamani and Amit took Mukesh & his son Akshay to Bhubaneswar Court and prepared the Agreements on stamp papers and also got the documents/agreement papers purportedly signed by Assistant Engineer, O/o EIC (Civil), Nirman Soudha, Bhubaneswar and took the signature of Akshay on behalf of Rashtriya Stainless Steel and also got the Agreement papers notarized.
In March 2018, Suryamani and Amit called Mukesh and Akshay to Bhubaneswar asking them to deposit a sum of Rs 25 lakhs with Government Treasury for registering their firm i.e. M/s Rashtriya Stainless Steel with PWD, Odisha for issuance of work order. Being persuaded by them, Mukesh accompanied both the accused to the premises of Government Treasury, at OLA Campus, Bhubaneswar, and paid cash of Rs 25 lakhs to one lady at the instances of the accused person, and Suryamani collected a treasury receipt in respect of Rs 25 lakhs & handed over the same to Mukesh.
Suryamani handed over two work orders to Mukesh, purportedly issued by Assistant Engineer, O/o EIC (Civil) Nirman Soudha, Bhubaneswar, for the contract value of Rs 3 crores and 4 crores on 15.03.18 and again on 21.08.18 two work orders having contract value of Rs 32.52 crores and Rs 47.52 crores for laying rising main and distribution pipelines, construction of pump house, compound wall, etc. for pipe water supply schemes under 30 districts and 314 block in Odisha. The accused persons went on collecting money under different pleas/pretexts to expedite the process.
Suryamani also handed over a fake letter, purportedly signed by Accounts Officer O/o EIC (Civil), Nirman Soudha, Bhubaneswar addressed to Branch Manager, Axis Bank, Unit-IV, Bhubaneswar requesting therein to transfer an amount of Rs 1.52 crores and Rs 3.16 crores (i.e. totaling to Rs 4.68 crores) towards the 20% advance against the work order to the account of M/s Rashtriya Stainless Steel, Bhubaneswar maintained with SBI and insisted the complainant to sign on Money receipts against receipt of above money from O/o EIC (Civil), Nirman Soudh, Bhubaneswar.
Accordingly, Mukesh’s son Akshay gave two money receipts of Rs 4.68 Crores but no amount was transferred to his Account. When no work was assigned, Mukesh started doubting the conduct of the accused persons and sought information under RTI about the accused persons and the work order given to them and came to know that all the documents including the Treasury Receipt are fake
and so also the identity of the accused persons.
EOW found that accused Suryamani has been working as a clerk in the office of DTET (Directorate of Technical Education & Training), Cuttack, whereas Amit is unemployed. Fake work orders/agreements/treasury receipts have been seized. It is suspected that they might have cheated many other persons too.
They used to use the Odisha Niwas, New Delhi to make any deal to impress/gain the trust of Mukesh. Also, Suryamani has saved the mobile numbers of senior IAS/ IPS/OAS officers/Judges to impress Mukesh/another party.
Investigation of the case is continuing to identify and nab the other accused persons involved in this case and in similar kinds of frauds.
