Odisha food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra has lodged a police complaint alleging that he has been duped of ₹25 lakh in a case of land fraud.

The minister lodged the police case on Sunday despite the event occurring in 2021.

According to the FIR lodged with the Dhenkanal police the minister had requested a plot of land in the Bansingha area of Dhenkanal district from a broker. He had paid ₹25 lakh in advance to the broker. However, the minister alleged that he is yet to get the land even four years after having paid the broker.

When he confronted the broker, the dealer gave him two cheques, but both cheques bounced. The minister also said he had served a legal notice to the broker. Following the legal notice, the broker extended the repayment deadline to November 30, 2024, and later to January 2025. The minister also alleged that, despite repeated requests, the land broker has not returned his money.

“This is a personal matter. This happened when I had not joined politics. Let police investigate the matter,” Patra said.