EOW found Nayak collected crores from Bijay for land and company but failed to deliver or return most funds
Bhubaneswar
Odisha Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Saturday arrested Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Dillip Kumar Nayak for allegedly cheating a person of Rs 12.42 crore under the pretext of real estate investments and land deals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Nayak, from Jhanjiri Mangala under Badambadi police station in Cuttack, had contested the 2024 Assembly elections from Nimapara constituency against Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida.
The complainant, Bijay Kumar Rout of Ranihat Malisahi, initially approached Badambadi Police Station. The case was later taken over by the EOW, which registered it formally on September 19. Bijay alleged that Nayak persuaded him to invest in joint real estate ventures and land purchases but repeatedly cheated him.
EOW investigations revealed that between 2015 and 2017, Nayak collected Rs 3 crore from Bijay for real estate investments. In 2018, he took Rs 4 crore for a plot at Bajrakabati, which was never delivered, and later Rs 3.42 crore for land at Patia. Nayak also obtained Rs 3 crore, including Rs 1 crore from Bijay’s wife, to form a company but returned only Rs 1 crore.
In 2021, Nayak allegedly took Rs 3.5 crore for five acres at Trisulia, registering himself as a joint owner and secretly selling 2.5 acres without informing Bijay. During a search of his residence, EOW seized incriminating documents, including sale deeds, power of attorney papers, agreements, and bank records in different names. The EOW continues its investigation into the massive fraud, examining Nayak’s financial transactions and documents to recover the defrauded amount and identify possible accomplices.
