TWO ACCUSED CONVICTED WITH IMPRISONMENT IN A FRAUD CASE OF MORE THAN RS. 31 Crs, INVESTIGATED BY EOW, BHUBANESWAR
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar:On the written report of one Sri Patitapabana Biswal, EOW PS Case No. 19 of 2015 was registered against Lt. Col. Rakesh Rana (retired), Chairman of Sainik Welfare Organisation- India and Purna Chandra Panda, Managing Director of Brookson Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.& others in the matter of cheating by not providing plots and defaulted in refunding the deposited amount received from the complainant and others, who had booked plots in “Defence Intercity Vatika Project” located at Bhubaneswar during the year 2011-12 to 2014-15.
During course of investigation it was ascertained that “Sainik Welfare Organisation-India” (SWO-India), a New Delhi based NGO, having its trustee namely, accused Lt. Col. Rakesh Rana (Chairman) & three others during the year 2010, launched a plotting scheme in the name& style, “Defence Intercity Vatika Association” at Giringaput Mouza, Bhubaneswar for providing residential plots to the serving/ retired defence personnel. Subsequent to that the SWO-India, collected about Rs. 31.57 crores from 542 numbers of defence personnel towards cost of land, development charges and registration fees etc. Moreover, the SWO-India represented though its Chairman, Rakesh Rana, during August, 2011 entered into an agreement with accused, Purna Chandra Panda, Managing Director of M/s Brookson Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. to purchase land for the above project. However, the above accused persons in criminal conspiracy hatched between themselves & others did not purchase adequate land to provide the same to the intending buyers as assured to them and for which they had collected the money. They did not provide any land to the investors and misappropriated the entire amount.
During investigation ad-interim proposal has been submitted by EOW attaching frozen bank balance of Rs. 55.20 lakhs approx. and land measuring Ac. 3.20 dec. having face value of more than Rs. 71 lakhs of SWO India and M/s Brookson Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., on the basis of which the Govt. has issued ad-interim order for attachment on 07.12.2017.
After completion of investigation of the case, charge-sheet was submitted in the case vide EOW PS C.S. No. 18 dt. 25.05.2018 U/s 420/406/467/468/471/120-B IPC, R/w Sec. 06 of OPID (in FE) Act,2011 against accused, (1) Rakesh Rana, Chairman of SWO-India, (2) Purna Chandra Panda, MD of M/s Brookson Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (3) Pradipta Kumar Barik, Project Liasoning Officer of Defence Intercity Vatika Association for SWO (4) Dharambir Singh, another Trustee of SWO, India (5) SWO-India represented by its Chairman Rakesh Rana and (6) M/s Brookson Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. represented through its MD, Purna Chandra Panda.
The case was under trial in the Court of Presiding Officer, Designated Court under OPID (Odisha Protection of Interest of Depositors) Act, Cuttack. The Ld. Trial court vide judgement dt. 27.08.2021, convicted accused persons, Lt. Col. (retd.) Rakesh Rana and Purna Chandra Panda with sentence of RI for five years and fine of Rs. 1 lakhs each and in default to undergo R.I. for 1 year. The court also has convicted the SWO-India and M/s Brookson Infra Pvt. Ltd. and sentenced them with fine of Rs. two lakhs each. The case was investigated by DySP Srinibas Padhy of EOW and prosecuted by Special Public Prosecutor, OPID Court, Cuttack.
