A former contractual engineer working with state-owned Odisha Tourism Development Corporation tried to sell off an ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) owned hotel in Puri for ₹15 crore, posing as its authorised owner.
The hotel set up by Utkal Ashok Hotel Corporation, a subsidiary of ITDC, on Puri sea beach in 1988, has been shut since March 2005 over allegations of financial mismanagement and the government’s bid to disinvest from the hotel has been stayed as the matter remains pending with the Supreme Court.
Taking advantage of the situation, a former contractual engineer of OTDC, posing as an authorised official of ITDC, executed an agreement with a Puri-based egg wholesaler February last year to sell off the property for ₹15 crore.
Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) of Economic Offences Wing, JN Pankaj said a person named Anikesh Sahu, in connivance with Chandan Akash Mohanty, the former contractual assistant engineer in OTDC, Bhubaneswar and another person duped Puri-based egg wholesaler Tapan Kumar Mohanty of ₹50 lakh.
“In January 2020, Chandan Akash Mohanty impersonating as senior officer of ITDC Ltd and Anikesh Sahu posing as contractor working with different projects of ITDC met Tapan Kumar Mohanty through one of his friend and persuaded him to purchase Nilachal Ashok Hotel at Puri for ₹15 crores which included payment of ₹3 crore as bribe. In February 2020, the accused executed an agreement and made the victim deposit ₹20 lakhs in the official account of ITDC, maintained at Delhi, but also took ₹30 lakhs in cash as facilitation fee. However, when the victim did not get any communication from ITDC Ltd., he realised that he had been duped. He subsequently suffered a stroke and was paralysed, losing his speech and memory,” said the DIG.
{{/usCountry}}“In January 2020, Chandan Akash Mohanty impersonating as senior officer of ITDC Ltd and Anikesh Sahu posing as contractor working with different projects of ITDC met Tapan Kumar Mohanty through one of his friend and persuaded him to purchase Nilachal Ashok Hotel at Puri for ₹15 crores which included payment of ₹3 crore as bribe. In February 2020, the accused executed an agreement and made the victim deposit ₹20 lakhs in the official account of ITDC, maintained at Delhi, but also took ₹30 lakhs in cash as facilitation fee. However, when the victim did not get any communication from ITDC Ltd., he realised that he had been duped. He subsequently suffered a stroke and was paralysed, losing his speech and memory,” said the DIG.
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After the victim’s wife lodged a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of Odisha police, Sahu was arrested from Cuttack and charged under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 419, 420, 467, 468 and 471.
Main accused Chandan Akash Mohanty, was arrested last month in a separate case while posing as a self-styled godman. The third accused Bikash Maharana is yet to be arrested, police said. They believe there might be other victims of the gang.