Accused Rakesh Rana (2nd from L) being taken into custody
Bhubaneswar: The economic offences wing (EOW) of Orissa Crime Branch arrested Lt Colonel Rakesh Rana (Retd) from New Delhi for cheating several army personnel on the pretext of providing them homestead plots here.
EOW officials said Rana was produced in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate at Dwarka in New Delhi and he was then brought to Orissa on a transit remand.
“Rana and his associates had set-up Sainik Welfare Organisation (SWO-India), an NGO in Dwarka. They then launched a plotted scheme ‘Defence Intercity Vatika Association’ in 2011 in Giringaput Mouza here. They assured army personnel (both retired and in-service) that they would hand over the plots by June, 2012. Attracted by the scheme, 542 defence personnel booked housing plots at Defence Intercity Vatika Association. However, the investors neither got the plots nor their money back. Subsequently, in July 2015, EOW registered a case in this regard,” Special DG of Crime Branch, BK Sharma, told the media.
“Rana and his associates have swindled funds to the tune of Rs 30crore through their NGO SWO-India,” Sharma said.
“Earlier, the EOW officials had arrested Purna Chandra Panda, managing director of M/S Brookson Infrastructure private limited, August 27, 2015. Panda was promoting the SWO-India project. He was paid Rs 19.62crore towards the cost of land meant for the 542 defence personnel. Neither SWO-India or Brookson provided litigation free plots to the defence personnel nor did they refund their money,” said the EOW officials.
The officials had also arrested Pradipta Kumar Barik September 21, 2015, in this connection. PNN
