Over Rs 1 cr jobs scam in Odisha in guise of skilling youth

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch today arrested Sudhir Sahoo, the Managing Director of Rudhitapa Institute of Technology and Management Pvt Ltd here, on charges of misappropriating funds of NGOs to the tune of over Rs 1 crore on pretext of giving lucrative remunerations for imparting skill development training.

The 29-year-old youth, a resident of Bagoi village under Kujanga police limits in Jagatsinghpur district was later forwarded to Bhubaneswar SDJM Court.

The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by secretary Bijaya Mohapatra of Harijan Adivasi Mahila Samti (HAMS), a Nayagarh-based NGO engaged in upliftment of heath, sanitation and skill development of the needy.

During investigation, it was revealed that Sahoo had opened the institute’s office at Saptasati Bihar in Palasuni area here and induced many NGOs engaged in imparting various skill development training assuring that his company is a franchisee of National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIEIT) run by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The accused persuaded the NGOs to pay certain amount for a specific training programme, after completion of which his company would give six times more of the amount to the concerned NGO after submission of invoice of completion of the training. So far, the accused has duped 15 such NGOs of Rs 62,12,311.

Sources added that Sahoo has also cheated many other NGOs and persons and the misappropriated amount might exceed over Rs 1 crore.

Further investigation is on in this connection.