Ex-CBI Chief Exposes ₹250 Crore Govt Land Scam in Odisha; Points to High-Ranking Officials

Bhubaneswar: A massive government land scam worth Rs 250 crore has surfaced in Odisha, with former CBI Director M Nageswara Rao alleging widespread corruption. According to Rao, government lands were illegally sold by a land mafia, involving senior IAS and IPS officers.

Rao named Nrusingha Prasad Sundaray, alias Babino, as the mastermind behind the scam. Sundaray allegedly collaborated with influential officials to encroach on government land and create forged documents to sell it fraudulently.

An RTI response revealed that approximately 7.5 acres of government land on plot no. 321 under Patrapada Mouza, adjacent to the National Highway, has been sold at least 27 times. High-profile individuals involved include former Odisha DGP Sanjeev Marik’s son Sudeep Marik (2009), former Intelligence Director R.P. Koche (2010), and former Additional DGP Shyam Sundar Hansdah’s wife and son (2011). Rao’s wife and son were also named in the transactions.

DO NOT SLANDER THE VICTIM

I was victim of a fraud committed by Nrusinga Prasad Sundaray alias Babino in cahoots with powerful people in which they fraudulently sold government land which they encroached by creating forged documents etc, and the sale deed was registered with… pic.twitter.com/fdrmstxTLv

— M. Nageswara Rao IPS (Retired) (@MNageswarRaoIPS) June 23, 2024

Rao claimed to be a victim of the fraud, having paid Rs 9.5 lakh for 4,000 square feet of land, only to discover it was government property. Despite lodging an FIR in 2015, his complaint was not registered due to the involvement of powerful individuals.

The Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan (OSAA) disclosed that Nrusingha is linked to a former BJD corporator and current corporator Sanjukta Sundaray. Allegedly, Nrusingha used manipulated land records with the help of officials to sell government land. Rao stated that he was introduced to Babino by his batchmate Shyam Sundar Hansdah, who assured him of the legitimacy of the documents.

In addition to the 7.5 acres, Nrusingha reportedly possesses another 1.5 acres of forest land near Smruti Bana in Bhubaneswar. He allegedly bribed officials to obtain approval from the BDA and constructed multi-storey buildings and market complexes on the encroached land.

OSAA estimates the open market value of the illegally possessed lands at around Rs 250 crore.

Former DGP Sanjeev Marik dismissed the allegations, calling Rao a liar and questioning why he did not approach relevant authorities before buying the land. Marik demanded a thorough investigation to uncover the truth.