RI caught taking Rs 40k bribe
Sambalpur: Vigilance sleuths on Thursday arrested Bhisma Pradhan, revenue inspector (RI) of Goudpalli revenue circle under Jamankira tehsil while accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a landless complainant.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Pradhan had allegedly demanded the money in exchange of furnishing a favourable report in a land lease case and for issuing the record of rights (ROR) in favour of the complainant and his family members.
Odisha vigilance in a release stated, "Since November 2024, the complainant was requesting Pradhan but Pradhan was demanding bribe Rs 40,000 to furnish a favourable report. Left with no other option, the complainant approached the vigilance authorities." Simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to the accused RI.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mumbai: EOW books R A Associates for allegedly selling same flat twice
MUMBAI : The Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police booked developer R A Associates for allegedly selling the same flat twice, causing a financial loss of over Rs 6 crore to a 71-year-old businessman. The businessman, along with his family members, had booked flats in Dadar in 2014. The complainant, Pawan Arya, a resident of Nepean Sea Road, lodged a complaint last week with the Matunga police station against the developer R A Associates and its directors, Rajendra Kothari and Sushil Kothari, under various BNS sections of cheating, forgery, and breach of trust. The case was transferred to the EOW. Arya, who jointly runs multiple businesses with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, stated in the FIR that the family firm-Arya Ship Industries entered into a registered purchase agreement on 18 July 2014 with R A Associates to buy Flat No. B/3101 in R A Residency, located in Dadar (East). According to Arya, a sum of Rs 5.47 crore was paid to R A Associates at the time, with the balance ₹60.80 lakh cleared between October and November 2022. After repeated delays in possession, the flat was finally handed over on 14 June 2023, and Arya's company took control of the said flat. The company also secured electricity and property tax registrations in its name and received written confirmation from the builder. The Arya family was happy that after 10 years, they finally got possession of their flat, but their happiness did not last long after they learned that the same flat had already been sold—without the company's knowledge or consent—to another party. According to certified documents accessed via the Sub-Registrar's portal, the flat was registered on 13 July 2022 in the name of three individuals: Navinchand Devraj Dedhia, Forum Rajiv Dedhia, and Rajiv Navinchand Dedhia. Arya alleges that the builders, Sushil Kothari and Rajendra Kothari, partners of R A Associates, forged cancellation details of the original 2014 agreement in the later sale deed, despite no actual cancellation occurring. The 2022 document does not contain any annexed agreement of cancellation, raising serious doubts about the legitimacy of the second sale. In a notarised affidavit dated after the second sale, Sushil and Rajendra Kothari allegedly admitted to executing the second transaction under financial duress, citing losses during the Covid-19 lockdown. They promised to resolve the matter but failed to act, Arya's complaint states. "This fraudulent act has not only caused a direct financial loss of Rs 6.08 crore to Arya Ship Industries but also rendered Arya legally vulnerable, as he holds possession of a flat that has been registered to another party," Arya said in his statement. "We have booked the Kotharis, and now we will summon them to justify their second sale when they already sold the flat to Arya," said an officer of the EOW.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru civic body cracks down on solid waste management cess fraud
BENGALURU : In response to widespread misuse of solid waste management (SWM) fee waivers, the BBMP is set to form special teams to verify claims made by large apartments and commercial establishments that they handle their own waste disposal. A BBMP official said, 'The teams will audit exempted properties and initiate strict action against violators, including imposing double penalties on those found submitting false declarations. Several apartment complexes, commercial buildings, star hotels, and restaurants across Bengaluru have allegedly exploited a BBMP provision by falsely claiming they scientifically process their own waste. This has allowed them to evade the mandatory SWM cess introduced for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which BBMP began collecting in April along with property tax.' The SWM cess is calculated based on a building's size and its daily waste output. While it is being charged to all residential properties, waivers were granted only to bulk waste generators — specifically, apartments with more than 100 units, buildings over 50,000 sq. ft., or those generating over 100 kg of waste per day. However, BBMP has discovered that several exempted properties continue to rely on the civic body's waste collection vehicles, despite claiming otherwise. This fraudulent practice has not only led to revenue losses but has also created operational challenges for the municipal authority. Only Rs 400 cr from SWM cess so far From April to June 10, BBMP collected `2,740 crore in total property tax, out of which only `400 crore came from the SWM cess. Officials noted that the majority of this amount was contributed by individual residential property owners, as most commercial entities misused the self-disposal exemption. A senior BBMP official confirmed, 'Owners who falsely claimed to manage waste independently will now face double penalties.'
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
ED facilitates restitution of Rs 611 cr to AgriGold victims
Vijayawada: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, has completed the process of restituting attached properties, valued at approximately Rs 611 crore (at the time of attachment), to the victims of Ponzi schemes orchestrated by the AgriGold group of companies. The current market value of these properties is estimated to exceed Rs 1,000 crore. In a significant development, the ED filed a restitution application in May 2025 under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, before the Special PMLA Court of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Hyderabad. The application sought the release of attached movable and immovable properties to the AP CID (where properties were also attached by AP CID), for their restoration to AgriGold Ponzi scheme victims under the Andhra Pradesh Protection of Depositors of Financial Establishments (APPDFE) Act. On June 10, 2025, the court approved the ED's restitution petition, paving the way for the return of these attached assets to the victims. The properties for which restitution has been allowed include 397 parcels of agricultural land, residential/commercial plots, and apartments. Of these, 380 properties are located in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Telangana and four in Karnataka. The ED initiated its investigation into AgriGold Group of companies in 2018, based on multiple FIRs. The AgriGold Group had purportedly collected deposits from approximately 19 lakh customers and 32 lakh account holders. ED's investigation uncovered that the AgriGold Group operated a fraudulent Collective Investment Scheme disguised as a real estate business, for which over 130 shell companies were floated. These entities collected deposits as 'advances for plots' from unsuspecting depositors, despite not possessing commensurate land. Through this deceptive model, the accused lured millions of gullible individuals, accumulating vast deposits. These funds were subsequently diverted to various unrelated industries, including Power/Energy, Dairy, Entertainment, Health (Ayurvedic), and Farm Land Ventures, without the knowledge of depositors. The companies ultimately defaulted on their commitments to return deposits, either in cash or kind. Thousands of commission agents were employed by the AgriGold Group to entice investors, successfully collecting around Rs 6,380 crore from over 32 lakh investor accounts. During the PMLA investigation, the ED attached movable and immovable properties across various States, totaling approximately Rs 4,141.2 crore. The ED also arrested Avva Venkata Rama Rao, Avva Venkata Seshu Narayana Rao and Avva Hema Sundara Vara Prasad in December 2020. A prosecution complaint was subsequently filed against 14 accused persons and entities in February 2021. The court took cognizance of the money laundering offensc against all accused on August 29, 2023. A Supplementary Prosecution Complaint was filed on March 28, 2024, against 22 additional accused, with cognizance taken by the court on November 4, 2024. Earlier, in February 2025, the ED had restituted properties worth Rs 3,339 crore (with a present market value exceeding Rs 6,000 crore) in this case. With the latest restitution, the total value of properties returned to victims now stands at Rs 3,950 crore, with a present market value exceeding Rs 7,000 crore. This restitution exercise marks a significant achievement in the ED's ongoing efforts to restore properties to their rightful claimants and ensure that proceeds of crime are returned to those who have been defrauded.
