Odisha food supply minister duped of Rs 25 lakh in land fraud case

When he was a director in a company, the minister had given Rs 25 lakh to a man from Dhenkanal Sadar area to arrange a plot of land, a police officer said.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra was allegedly duped of Rs 25 lakh in a land fraud case, police said on Monday.

Patra has lodged a complaint at Dhenkanal Town police station in this regard.

When he was a director in a company, Patra had given Rs 25 lakh to a man from Dhenkanal Sadar area to arrange a plot of land, a police officer said.

However, the middle-man neither provided Patra with land nor returned his money despite making promises several times. Finally, the minister approached the police on Sunday, the officer said.

Terming it as his personal matter, Patra told reporters, "It was an old case... it happened around four-five years ago when I was serving as a director in a company and had provided the money to buy a plot."

"As he neither provided a land parcel nor returned the money, I have lodged a complaint, and the police are investigating the case," he added.

The police said a manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.