EOW arrested Fraudster for Misappropriating Govt.Subsidy Rs.3.49 Crs
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar: EOW, Odisha arrested one fraudster for misappropriating govt.subsidy amounts Rs.3.49 Crs.in agricultural equipment meant for 278 farmers of Western Odisha.
In connection the Economic Offences Wing,Odisha arrested one accused who identified as Kamaljeet Singh of Bargarh on Tuesday.
According to EOW official, the case was registered on the complaint of Rigin Bennet,Manager, Public Relations of M/s.Redlands Ashlyn Motors PLC, Thrissur,Kerala on the allegation that accused Harpal Singh & others by preparing and using forged documents in the name of his company, managed to obtain registration from Agriculture Department, Govt. of Odisha for selling farm equipment of M/s Redlands Ashlyn Motors PLC. They fraudulently uploaded in the portal of Direct Benefit Transport (DBT) to have supplied 281 Rice Transplanter machines to farmers of Sambalpur, Sonepur,Bargarh Districts and misappropriated to Rs.3.5Crs. which is subsidy amount of Govt. of Odisha mentioning fake engine/chassis number of rice transplanter machines.
Investigation revealed that, during the year 2018-20, accused Harpal Singh, who is the dealer of the company in criminal conspiracy with his brother Kamaljeet Singh and others had uploaded fake engine/chassis number along with photographs of beneficiaries & machines in DBT portal of Govt. of Odisha showing to have sold rice transplanted machines of M/s Redlands Ashlyn Motors PLC make to 278 farmers of Bolangir, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Subarnapur Districts without procuring the same from the company.
It is ascertained during investigation that, machines were never sold; only shown in papers to have sold. Harpal Singh had uploaded his joint photographs with beneficiaries and fake machines in DBT portals with view to deceit the Govt. The photographs were taken by Kamaljeet Singh.
After the photographs were uploaded, subsidy amount ranging from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.1.5 lakh were credited to the account of 278 beneficiary farmers. The total subsidy amount comes to Rs.3.49 Crs.
Soon after the subsidy amount were credited to the account of beneficiary farmers, Kamaljeet Singh and his brother Harpal Singh used to lure the beneficiary to withdraw the total subsidy amount. They took away total subsidy amount in cash from them and in lieu of that Rs.3,000 to 5,000 were paid to the farmers by the two accused persons and others, taking advantage of their illiteracy and innocence.
Also, during investigation, so far, an amount of Rs.1.92 Crs. has already been freezed in different accounts of accused persons and their firms.
EOW,PSCase-No.7,dtd.23.04.2021,U/s 419/420/406/467/468/471/ 20-B IPC r/w Sec 66 of IT Act and forwarded to the Court of SDJM, Bargarh at 22.06.2021 PM. He is remanded to judicial custody. The investigation of the case is continuing.
