Bhubaneswar: Taking fresh action in a chit-fund scam in Odisha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an absconding accused who allegedly misappropriated more than Rs 17 crore belonging to gullible depositors, an official said on Sunday.
Debabrata Dutta, former proprietor of DNB Food Processing Private Limited, was arrested in Siliguri, West Bengal, the CBI said.
Earlier, the CBI had said that Dutta did not cooperate with the investigation.
Dutta was declared an absconder in the chargesheet filed on December 26, 2022, in connection with the case involving offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978, the central agency added.
A Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against Dutta on August 5, 2024.
The accused was traced based on information received from a source and was finally arrested in Siliguri on Friday.
He is being brought from Siliguri on transit remand and will be produced before the competent court in Bhubaneswar, the CBI said.
In a separate case, the CBI on August 21 arrested a Proclaimed Offender (PO) who had been absconding for nearly 23 years in connection with a case involving the criminal misappropriation of goods worth Rs 9 lakh from trucks carrying them to customers.
Roop Singh was arrested after sustained efforts by the probe agency, according to a statement issued by the CBI.
Earlier, co-accused Arjun Singh was arrested on November 7, 2025, after remaining absconding for nearly 22 years.
The CBI case originated from a case registered on October 4, 1998, at Amalner Police Station in Maharashtra regarding the alleged theft and misappropriation of goods, including ghee and mung, loaded onto two trucks.
It was alleged that on September 27, 1998, two truck drivers, Babu Khan and Aslam Khan, stole and misappropriated the goods.
The High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Aurangabad Bench, vide its order dated February 25, 2002, in a criminal writ petition filed on November 27, 2000, directed that the investigation be transferred immediately to the CBI.
Accordingly, the CBI re-registered the case on April 5, 2002, as a case of theft and criminal misappropriation of goods loaded onto two trucks. The case, involving Babu Khan, Aslam Khan and others, had been transferred to the central agency in 2002.
“After the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on December 19, 2003, before the Court of the JMFC at Amalner against Roop Singh, Arjun Singh, Babu Khan and Aslam Khan for offences relating to criminal misappropriation, conspiracy and abetment,” the central agency said.
The CBI added that the investigation revealed that Roop Singh and Arjun Singh, in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy with the two truck drivers, criminally misappropriated goods intended for delivery to another party.
