The Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested three persons, including a staffer of the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) on the charges of issuing a compensation payment order by forging documents and signature of a retired IAS officer Benudhar Dash, the nodal officer Claims Commissions (Odisha State Housing Board).
The accused have been identified as Trilochan Dandasena (33), Swagat Prakash Baral (35) and Dusmant Patel (43). According to Kharavel Nagar Police, the accused Trilochan is an employee at MCL, while Dusmant is a technical inspector, posted at MCL and deputed to the Claims Commission, Swagat was working as temporary clerk in Claims Commission.
In his complaint, the concerned nodal officer on December 21, 2021 had alleged that order regarding compensation of Rs 1,16,43,003 was passed in favour of one Mangasira Dhrua of Hemgiri in Sundergarh district by forging the compensation roll and his signature.
During probe it was ascertained that the accused Trilochan had approached the claimant Mangasira whose land was taken over by MCL for immediate compensation. Later, Trilochan in connivance with two other accused- Swagat and Dusmant contacted the claimant and assured him to sanction of the compensation and demanded commission in it.
It is alleged that the trio then forged the signature of Dash and sent the order to ADM, MCL, Bansadhara, Sundergarh for sanction of Rs 1.16 crore to claimant Dhrua on the basis of a civil case passed in his favour. The ADM subsequently transferred the compensation amount to the claimnant Dhrua’s account.
As per the deal, the claimant transferred Rs 20 lakh to the bank account of accused Trilochan and handed over Rs 10 lakh to Swagat. Trilochan subsequently distributed Rs 5 lakh each to Dusmant and Rs 3 lakh to Swagat and spent remaining Rs 5 lakh to the officials whose details are yet to be verified, Kharavel Nagar Police said in a release.