Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police has arrested two more persons in connection with the alleged Rs 9.6 crore fraud involving the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) trust account in Mayurbhanj district, officials said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Surjit Roy and Sameer Srivastav, were apprehended from Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Thursday and brought to Odisha on transit remand on Friday, an EOW officer said.
With the latest arrests, the total number of persons arrested in the case has risen to six.
The case was registered following a complaint lodged by the chief manager of a public sector bank’s Baripada branch. Investigators alleged that fraudsters siphoned off funds from the DMF trust account by using forged cheques.
According to EOW officials, Roy and Srivastav were linked to firms that allegedly received part of the defrauded money. Roy was the proprietor and authorised signatory of Roy Associates, while Srivastav was associated with SS Traders.
Probe findings revealed that Rs 45.19 lakh had been transferred to the account of Roy Associates, while SS Traders received Rs 39.19 lakh, officials said.
The EOW further stated that it has so far managed to block transactions amounting to Rs 5.04 crore and freeze Rs 13.56 lakh lying in 33 different bank accounts connected to the fraud.
Investigators suspect the involvement of a larger inter-state network operating across Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
“Important leads regarding the broader syndicate have emerged during interrogation. The gang is suspected to have been involved in similar fraudulent activities for the past four years,” an official said.
Earlier, the EOW had arrested four other accused in the case — Pomesh Tembhare, Ghanshyam Ahuja, Ajmir Mondal and Brajesh Mishra.
The investigation is continuing.