Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch on Friday arrested Bramhojyoti Behera of Naraharipur village in Balasore for allegedly withdrawing an amount of Rs 65 lakh from his dead mother’s pension account.
Reportedly, Bramhojyoti is the son of late Sabitri Behera, who was getting family pension after death of her husband. After Sabitri expired on March 22, 2014, the Business Correspondent of Bank of India, Remuna Branch, Pravat Kumar Das, who was entrusted to prepare pension rolls, entered into criminal conspiracy with Bramhojyoti and the then Branch Manager Durga Charan Panda.
In pursuance of the conspiracy, an ATM card was issued in the name of Sabitri which was used by Bramhojyoti. During the period 2014-18, he had withdrawn an amount of Rs 65 lakh from his deceased mother’s pension account and the same was distributed among the aforementioned three persons.
The incident came to light after Sr Branch Manager of Bank of India, Remuna Branch, Swaraj Mohanty registered a complaint with the EOW relating to the misappropriation of government money amounting Rs 1.32 crores by Pravat by means of falsely posting the amounts in the pension accounts of the persons who were dead since long.
During investigation it was revealed that in spite of the death of Sabitri and another pensioner Parsuram Giri, who had expired on December 27, 2014, Pravat had entered false and excessive amount of pension in their accounts each month with an ulterior motive. Till November 2018, he had posted an amount of Rs 65 lakh in the account of Late Parsuram Giri and amount of Rs 67 lakh in the account of Late Sabitri Behera.
Pravat had been arrested on December 14, 2018 and Durga Charan Panda on February 2, 2019. Further investigation of the case is still in progress.