Bhubaneswar: One Bikash Maharana who had allegedly duped a contractor by posing as an official of the OTDC and issuing fake work orders, surrendered before the court on April 22. Maharana was on the run since August 2021 after the fraud was busted. He was forwarded to judicial custody after being produced before SDJM, Bhubaneswar.
Maharana in criminal conspiracy with others had cheated one Dhanurdhar Champatiray by using fake work orders purportedly issued by OTDC, Bhubaneswar and collected huge amount of cash from him, both in bank accounts and by cash, impersonating themselves as the authorised officers of OTDC.
Champatiray is a special class contractor and was desperately looking for any work contract during the pandemic. He came in contact with one Bijayananda Choudhury alias Swami Bijayananda Maharaj, Chandan Akash Mohanty and Bikash Maharana, who impersonating them as the Chairman, Assistant Engineer and Clerk, of OTDC took Rs 3 crore from Champatiray.
Between August and November, 2020, the accused persons handed over 23 work orders for renovation of Pantha Nivas at Barakul and Rambha.
In a similar case, one Tapan Kumar Mohanty was duped of Rs 50 lakh by the trio who had then posed as senior officials of ITDC. The victim’s wife reported the matter to EOW and stated that her husband suffered a brain stroke following the fraud. “He is bed ridden, suffering from paralysis with loss of speech and memory,” a EOW official said.
Maharana was absconding and was being tracked by EOW. He surrendered in the Court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar and was remanded to judicial custody. Investigation of the case is continuing, the EOW stated.
