Bhubaneswar: Following a Orissa High Court directive, Chandpur police booked Nayagarh district Collector Rabindra Nath Sahu and three others for allegedly seeking financial favour of Rs 25 lakh from a laterite stone mine owner under Ranpur tehsil.
The other three persons are Dillip Kumar Samantaray from Bajrakote, Deepak Kumar Routray from Ostapada and Ganeswar Mandhata from Champagada.
The case was registered under Sections 294 (obscene acts or words), 506 (criminal intimidation), 385 (causing fear or injury to commit extortion), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons with common intention) of IPC, among others, on the basis of a complaint lodged 35-year-old mine owner Sushant Kumar Barad of Champagada on April 11.
The laterite stone mine lease holder, Sushant Kumar Barad has alleged that the Nayagarh Collector along with three others had visited Mayurjhalia laterite stone mine area on January 26, 2023. At that time he had asked for a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant.
Barad claims to have lodged complaints with Chandpur police and Nayagarh SP. When no action was initiated he moved Orissa High Court.
The collector, however, has refuted the allegations. “NGT had slapped a fine of Rs 2.81 crore on the mining lease holder following a survey. Section 144 was also clamped in the mining area. The allegation has been brought to divert attention from those incidents. I did not go to the spot on January 26, as I was busy with Republic Day programmes,” said Sahu
