Odisha police freeze bank accounts of one of the richest MLAs
Just over a week after Odisha police arrested the manager of a private bank on charges of transporting ₹50 lakh in cash to the house of one of the richest MLAs of the state without proper documents, it ordered freezing the legislator’s bank accounts.
On January 12, police in Keonjhar had arrested the manager and two other staff of IndusInd Bank’s Joda branch while they were transporting the cash to the house of independent MLA Sanatan Mahakud.
Keonjhar’s superintendent of police Rajesh Pandit said the bank management has been asked to temporarily freeze the five current accounts of Mahakud, MLA from iron orerich Champua. The five accounts are said to have a total sum of ₹165 crore.
“The accounts were ordered to be frozen under section 102 of CrPC. We got to know that Mahakud was using his money to create law and order problems in the district,” said Pandit. “We would also write to other banks for temporary freeze of the accounts.”
Since last month, Mahakud’s outfit Sana Sena has been creating law and order troubles in the district resorting to hold-ups on national highway toll gates to setting fire to the office of a min-
BHUBANESWAR: FORMERLY A TRUCK DRIVER, MAHAKUD IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE MADE MONEY DURING THE MINING BOOM
ister’s son. Police have lodged cases against Sana Sena and Mahakud.
Though the independent legislator has been summoned to the police station, he did not show up citing his poor health.
With declared assets worth ₹51 crore and his wife’s Shantilata’s as ₹18 crore, Mahakud was one of the richest candidates in Odisha in 2014 assembly election. Mahakud, formerly a truck driver who transported iron ore is suspected to have made his money during the mining boom in Odisha between 2004 and 2008.
Mahakud recently announced that he would form a new political party named Jana Samrudha Party which would contest in all 147 assembly constituencies of Odisha.