EOW Arrests Couple For Duping Man Of Rs 1.5 Crore

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested a couple for allegedly duping a man to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.

The arrested woman Mahasweta Biswal is managing director of real estate company M/s B.N. Infra Services Pvt. Ltd., while her husband Biswa Bhusan Biswal, was working as Joint Director at Madhusudan Das Regional Academy of Financial Management in Bhubaneswar.

The anti-corruption agency has arrested the couple under sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the IPC and read with the Sec 6 of Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in financial establishments) Act, 2011.

Reportedly, one Debasis Dagara of Chandrasekhar area leveled fraud allegations against them. As per a complaint of Dagara, he had given Rs 1.89 crore to Biswa Biswal and his company, but despite an agreement the latter did not return the money.

During investigation, it was revealed that being induced by Biswal and his wife, the complainant had deposited an amount of Rs 1.89 crore in their company after executing five agreements with Mahasweta Biswal to purchase five flats. Accordingly, an amount of Rs 1.4 Crore was transferred from his accounts and rest were given in cash.

As the flats could not be sold by the company in due time, an agreement was executed between Biswa Bhusan Biswal and Debasish Dagara in which, the former agreed to return the invested amount of Rs 1.89 crore to the latter failing which he will sell the property situated at IRC Village area of the city.

When the accused again defaulted, another agreement was executed between them in which Biswal and his wife had promised to pay Rs 1.76 crore as full and final amount, out of which, they have paid only Rs 1 lakh at the time of agreement. The last date of final payment was in 2017 and it was decided that in case of failure, Biswal would register IRC village house in the name of the complainant.

However, the couple neither returned the invested amount nor registered the house in Dagara's name. Investigation so far revealed that complaint stands cheated with an amount of Rs.1,51,30,000, a release of the EOW mentioned.

Sources said the EOW officials also conducted a search operation at the residence of the accused at Saheed Nagar and seized many incriminating documents such as agreement, bounced cheques and post-dated cheques.

The accused will be produced before a court in Cuttack, added sources.