BJD Leader Raja Chakra Arrested in Multi-Crore Mining Scam

The Odisha Crime Branch arrested Soumya Shankar Chakra, alias Raja Chakra, state vice-president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, on Thursday over his alleged involvement in a multi-crore mining and transport scam in Keonjhar district.

The arrest followed the Orissa High Court’s rejection of Chakra’s interim protection plea on Wednesday, paving the way for his detention. Additional DGP, CID, Crime Branch, Vinaytosh Mishra, confirmed that Chakra was interrogated to clarify his role before being arrested.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had initiated the probe in February 2025, following a complaint about financial irregularities in the Gandhamardan Loading (GML) Agency and its associated cooperative society, established to support villagers impacted by mining. Investigations revealed the agency earned Rs 185 crore between 2017-18 and March 2024, much of which was allegedly siphoned off.

Mishra stated that the cooperative’s president, Manas Barik, and secretary, Utkal Das, colluded with influential locals to misappropriate funds. Notably, Rs 34 crore earmarked for peripheral development showed no corresponding work, while Rs 9.1 crore was paid to a petrol pump supplying fuel to Chakra’s vehicles, funded by GML.

Additionally, Rs 33 crore was distributed to supposed cooperative members, and Rs 74 crore was listed as loading and labor costs, with discrepancies in records suggesting fraud. An audit, pending since 2012-13, is now planned to uncover the full extent of the defalcation.

Though not officially linked to the society, Chakra allegedly controlled operations through associates Sadashiv Samal, Sudhansu Shekhar Naik, and Samir Jena. The Crime Branch has seized 42 vehicles linked to Chakra and frozen several bank accounts as the financial investigation deepens.