The Odisha Police’s Economic Offences Wing arrested Brajesh Mishra, a businessman, for his alleged role in a multi-crore fraud case related to the embezzlement of District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds in Mayurbhanj district. Mishra, the proprietor of Mishra Enterprises and Mahakal Construction, was apprehended in Chhattisgarh and is connected to EOW Police Station Case No. 5/24. He was brought to Bhubaneswar after appearing before a local court in Chhattisgarh and is set to face the designated OPID court in Balasore on March 20.
The case, initially registered at the Bhanjapur Police Station in Mayurbhanj district, was taken over by the EOW on April 19, 2024, following a complaint by Sujata Kanungo, Chief Manager of Bank of India, Baripada. The complaint alleged the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 9.56 crore from the DMFT account of the Zilla Parishad, Mayurbhanj, using forged cheques on April 10 and 18, 2024. Investigations revealed that the fraudsters funneled the funds into accounts of PT Constructions & Supplier and S.K. Enterprises through cloned cheques, subsequently diverting the money through layered transactions to conceal the trail.
According to EOW sources, the fraudsters managed to transfer a total of Rs 9,56,76,600 into accounts of PT Constructions & Supplier and S.K. Enterprises by producing forged or cloned cheques. EOW sleuths have blocked Rs 5.04 crore and frozen Rs 13.56 lakh in 33 accounts. Probe findings indicate that significant amounts were transferred to accounts linked to Mishra’s firms, with a portion routed to his personal account and the rest further diverted.
EOW officials disclosed that Mishra is part of an interstate fraud network spanning Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha for the past four years. The gang allegedly utilized cheque cloning, multi-layered transactions, and multiple bank accounts to perpetrate the scam. Earlier, police had arrested Pomesh Tembhare, Ghanshyam Ahuja, and Ajmir Mondal in connection with the case.
