Odisha BJD MLA Prafulla Samal's son along with some others were allegedly involved in misappropriation of funds worth crores of an educational society, the Enforcement Directorate said on February 17.
Ten locations in Bhadrak and Bhubaneswar were searched by the central agency on February 15 as part of the probe being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the MLA's son Prayaskanti Samal and other officials linked to the Barapada School of Engineering and Technology (BSET) society.
Prayaskanti is the son of six-time Biju Janta Dal (BJD) MLA Prafulla Samal.
The 76-year-old legislator represents the Bhandaripokhari (in Bhadrak) assembly seat and is the founder member of the BJD led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The ED case filed under the PMLA stems from an FIR lodged in 2016 by the Odisha Police.
Prayaskanti Samal, the former president of BSET, its secretary Manoj Kumar Goswami and others were allegedly involved in misappropriation of society funds by "forgery and cheating", the ED said.
“Prayaskanti Samal with other associates of the society embezzled crores of rupees by way of financial irregularities.”
"It has also been alleged that they engaged in embezzlement of the funds and properties (acquired in the name of the BSET) for their personal monetary gain with the help of forged and fabricated documents," the ED said in a statement.
The central agency further said that ₹9 lakh in cash and a Toyota Fortuner SUV worth ₹40 lakh were seized during the searches, it said.
"Incriminating" documents, including undated cheques, land agreements and digital devices have also been seized from various premises, the ED said.
