Minister falls prey to Rs 25L land fraud, files FIR
According to an FIR filed by Patra at Town police station in Dhenkanal on Saturday, he had transferred Rs 25 lakh to Niranjan Satpathy in 2021 to purchase a plot of land in Banasingh area of Dhenkanal district. Satpathy, however, neither transferred the property nor returned the money to Patra.
"Based on my complaint, police are investigating the case. The incident occurred in 2021 when I was not an MLA. I was then working as a director in a company and had planned to purchase land.
I gave the money to Satpathy, but he reneged on the land deal," the food supplies & consumer welfare minister said on Monday.
The complaint read that Satpathy contacted Patra through an intermediary in 2021, offering land at an attractive price. Satpathy presented land documents and claimed the property belonged to someone who was eager to sell, subsequently collecting Rs 25 lakh from Patra.
"As time progressed, Satpathy failed to complete the property registration in my name.
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Despite repeated enquiries, Satpathy couldn't arrange the land transfer. When I asked for a refund, Satpathy issued two cheques, both of which bounced due to insufficient funds," Patra stated in his FIR, a copy of which was seen by TOI.
The minister had sent a legal notice to Satpathy seeking repayment, but to no avail. "Following repeated demands, Satpathy made an undertaking to pay the amount by Nov 30, 2024, but he retracted.
Though he promised to refund the entire money by the end of Jan, he failed again," Patra stated in the FIR.
Further verification by Patra revealed that Satpathy neither possessed land nor had any arrangements with landowners, indicating his intention to deceive.
"He has failed to return my money. This act has caused me financial distress and mental grief. By taking advantage of my simplicity, he cheated me. I request that immediate action be taken against him," the FIR copy read.
Dhenkanal town police inspector Prabhat Sahoo said they are verifying the minister's allegation. "We have issued summons to the suspect to face interrogation. Investigation is continuing," Sahoo said.
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