The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the state Crime Branch arrested Soumya Sankar Chakra, a vice-president of the BJD youth wing, also known as Raja, on Thursday morning for his alleged involvement in a massive multi-crore mineral transportation fraud in Odisha’s Keonjhar district.
Chakra’s arrest followed the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by the Orissa High Court on Wednesday. He was taken into custody for questioning regarding significant financial irregularities within the Gandhamardan Loading Agency and Transporting Cooperative Society Limited. Although Chakra did not hold an official position within the cooperative, he reportedly exerted control over it through his associates, Sadashiv Samal, Sudhansu Shekhar Naik, and Samir Jena.
Investigations revealed that the society had earned approximately ₹185 crores between 2017-18 and March 2024. However, Rs34 crores allocated for Gandhamardan mines’ peripheral development were never utilized. In addition, Rs9.1 crores were improperly paid to a fuel station supplying fuel to Chakra’s vehicles instead of the cooperative. Authorities also discovered that Rs33 crores were distributed to local villagers loyal to Chakra, and discrepancies were found in the society’s financial records related to mineral loading charges and labor payments. Notably, the society has not undergone any audits since 2012-13.
As the investigation continues, the EOW is uncovering more details of the complex financial fraud that allegedly benefited several local entities under Chakra’s influence.
