The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Sushant Samal, a close aide of BJD leader Soumyashankar Chakra, popularly known as Raja Chakra, in connection with the multi-crore transport scam.
According to sources, Samal played a key role in helping Raja Chakra hide large sums of money across different locations. Investigations also revealed Samal’s involvement in investing in benami properties and laundering money, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Samal is scheduled to be produced in court today, with the EOW likely to seek custodial remand for further interrogation.
The arrest of Samal follows the earlier detention of Raja Chakra on March 14 for his alleged role in a ₹500-crore transport and mining scam in Keonjhar district. The case involves large-scale irregularities in iron ore mining, loading operations, overcharging, and illegal profit-sharing.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the EOW has seized 42 vehicles and two screening plants linked to Raja Chakra. Additionally, the agency has frozen several bank accounts, blocking nearly ₹25 lakh suspected to be part of the scam’s money trail.
