Ex-serviceman arrested in Rs 30 cr land fraud

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: A retired Army officer, recipient of gallantry award, has been arrested by Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for his involvement in a case of land fraud to the tune of Rs 30 crore.

Lt Colonel (Retd) Rakesh Rana, a recipient of Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry award, was arrested in New Delhi. Rana was produced before the Delhi Dwarka Metropolitan magistrate and was subsequently brought to Odisha on a transit remand, police said.

“An NGO was set up in the name of Sainik Welfare Organization in Delhi by Rana and others. In 2011, the organization promised to provide land at Bhubaneswar’s Giringaput Mouza under a plotting scheme by July 2012. However, the investors were neither provided the land nor their money was refunded. Subsequently, in July 2015 a case was registered with EOW,” said Special DG of Crime Branch, BK Sharma.

“As many as 542 ex-servicemen have been duped to the tune of Rs 30cr by the organization. In this connection, two other persons identified as Purna Chandra Panda and Pradipta Kumar Barik, have already been arrested and forwarded to court,” added Sharma.

In this connection, two other persons identified as Purna Chandra Panda and Pradipta Kumar Barik, have already been arrested, the Special DG added.