BERHAMPUR: Odisha Police arrested a 43-year-old realtor in the Ganjam district for allegedly defrauding nearly 200 individuals of over Rs 5 crore under the guise of allotting residential plots, officials reported on Sunday.
The accused, Chetan Kumar Choudhury, is the son of a former president of the district’s Congress unit.
According to police reports, Choudhury, residing in Gosaninuagaon, Berhampur city, collected monthly installments from buyers via his office staff since August 2019, promising to allot plots by September 2021.
However, as the promised date arrived, when investors sought their plots, Choudhury allegedly denied any responsibility, claiming the receipts were fraudulent and asserting his ignorance of the scheme.
An investor filed a police complaint against him on Saturday, leading to the registration of a criminal case under various sections of BNS and the initiation of an investigation.
Additionally, police noted another ongoing case against him at the Bada Bazar police station.
Initial investigations indicated that Choudhury deceived approximately 200 individuals out of more than Rs 5 crore by promoting a monthly investment plan for residential plots, according to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
Authorities seized documents including layout plans for the proposed plots, payment receipts, collection slips, and other related materials from Choudhury.
