Odisha EOW Arrests Ponzi Firm Director For Duping Crores From Investors

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Sudarsan Senapati, one of the directors of bogus chit fund company Akash India Multi Complex Ltd on charges of duping investors to the tune of Rs 3 crore.

Prior to Senapati, Managing Director (MD) Kedarnath Sahoo, Director Suresh Chandra Sahoo and Chief Executive Subash Chandra Mohanty had been arrested in connection with the case. 

Senapati has been forwarded to the court, informed the EOW in an official statement. 

EOW said one Debendra Kumar Nayak had filed a complaint with the agency accusing that Sahoo, who identified himself as the MD of the ponzi firm, and other directors of the company have duped a large number of investors to the tune of crores of rupees on the pretext of returning high interest on their deposits under the various schemes launched by the company.

Based on the allegations, the EOW had initiated a probe into the matter and found Akash India Multi Complex Ltd was incorporated with ROC, Cuttack and had its registered office at Dumuduma and Khandagiri in Bhubaneswar. It also has branch offices at Niali, Charichhak, Puri, Astaranga, Baungarigaon, Panikoili, Bramhagiri and Jagatsinghpur.

The EOW also revealed that Senapati along with other accused persons had collected approximately Rs 3 crores from investors under different schemes of the company from 2011 to 2016.

The EOW said the company initially had made some meagre payment to the investors to win their trust but subsequently from the year 2013, stopped making any payment to the investors and closed down their offices functioning at different places. The accused persons absconded thereafter.

The movable and immovable assets created by the accused companies from out of the public deposits have been attached under section 3 of OPID Act, 2011. The investigation in the case is underway, added the EOW.