Bhubaneswar/Bargarh: The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch Wednesday arrested a businessman identified as Kamaljeet Singh from Bargarh district in connection with an alleged financial fraud case, an official source said.
According to the source, a case was earlier registered acting on an FIR of Kerala based M/s Redlands Ashlyn Motors PLC’s public relations manager Rigin Bennet.
Bennet had alleged that Singh and some others known to him managed to obtain registration from the state Agriculture Department for selling his company-manufactured farm equipment by using forged documents in the name of his company.
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In the portal of direct benefit transport (DBT), the accused fraudulently uploaded to have supplied 281 rice transplanter machines to farmers of western Odisha. Later, they misappropriated subsidy money to the tune of Rs 3.50 crore by furnishing fake engine and chassis numbers, Bennet’s FIR suggested.
“It was ascertained during the investigation that machines were never sold. They were only shown in pen and papers to have been sold. Kamaljeet’s brother Harpal had uploaded his joint photographs with beneficiaries and fake machines in DBT portals to cheat the government. The photographs were taken by Kamaljeet,” an EOW official informed.
Kamaljeet was booked under Sections 419/420/406/467/468/471/ 20-B of the IPC and Section 66 of the IT Act. He was remanded to judicial custody by the EOW team. Further investigation in this connection is underway, the official expressed.
PNN