Bhubaneswar: Businessman and politician Raja Chakra was sent to jail after EOW produced him before the OPID court in Balasore today.
He has been sent to nine-day judicial custody. The Eow has not filed any petition for remand. Similarly, Chakra has not applied for bail.
“We have not applied for bail today. We will file the bail petition later. The EOW has also not filed any application for remand. We want the EOW to interrogate him in the presence of his lawyers if he is taken on remand,” Raghunath Pradhan, Chakra’s lawyer, said.
On Thursday, the EOW arrested Raja Chakra, who is alleged to be involved in one of the largest-scale irregularities in the functioning of the Gandhamardan Loading Agency and the misappropriation of funds from a cooperative intended for the welfare of villagers affected by mining activities.
Based on a complaint filed by a villager residing near the Gandhamardan mines in Keonjhar district, the EOW registered a case under sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the IPC on February 7 and began an investigation into the matter.
“Till now, two persons have been arrested, and today Raja Chakra was arrested,” stated Crime Branch Director General of Police (DG), Vinaytosh Mishra in a press conference on Thursday.
According to an official press release, based on a detailed investigation, it was found that the loading agency had earned around Rs 185 Crores from 2017-18 to March 2024.