Odisha EOW arrests Bhubaneswar businessman in Rs 5.5-crore cheating case

BHUBANESWAR: The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday arrested Rajeev Lochan Das, a businessman, on charges of cheating a woman of about Rs 5.5 crore.
As per the EOW’s written statement, Das is one of the directors of Lumex Resources Limited, a private company.
Das had allegedly borrowed Rs 5.5 crore from Nisharani Mahapatra in 2019 and assured her hefty interest every month.
But he allegedly reneged on the deal and did not repay her money.
“We arrested him and produced him in court. Some incriminating documents, including the loan agreement, e-mail correspondence and WhatsApp chats have been seized,” an EOW official said.
It must be noted that though Nisharani had approached the Infocity police station seeking action against Das, his wife Sonia and three others in connection with the cheating case, the police did not register her case.
The Infocity police finally registered the FIR on November 14, 2021 following a directive by the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM).
Considering the gravity of the case and lack of police action, the EOW took over the investigation from the Infocity police station on March 23 this year following an order by the additional director general (Crime Branch) Arun Bothra.
“We are verifying the involvement of other four accused, including Das’s wife in the cheating case. If we find proof against them, we will arrest them,” the EOW officer said.
It must be noted that the EOW also registered another case against Das and his wife Sonia on March 23 for allegedly duping Mahapatra’s husband Prajna Prakash Nayak of Rs 70 lakh.
Though the Airfield police station had registered a case against the couple October 9, 2021, the EOW took over the investigation in March due to alleged police inaction.
While Sonia and functionaries of Lumex Resources were unavailable for comment, the commissionerate police said their investigation was in progress before the EOW took over the probe.
“There was no negligence on our part during the investigation,” an officer of the commissionerate police said.