File picture of people duped by fraud financial firms near Saheed Nagar Police station in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, June 6: The crime branch today took the managing director of a real estate firm on a two-day remand following his arrest yesterday for cheating people of more than Rs 50 crore promising them land.

Officials the economic offences wing seized one Mercedes Benz and a Chevrolet car from the builder-cum-film producer Narayan Chandra Nayak, who had produced the Odia films Premarogi and Prema Adhei Akshyar.

In another development, 50 people today lodged complaints against two real estate firms — Sai Shares and Securities Private Limited and Sai Sudha Infra Developers Private Limited — which had allegedly cheated them of over Rs 200 crore after promising land at various places in and around the city.

Surabhi Sethi, 45, employee of a private organisation, said she had paid Rs 3 lakh as security money to Sai Shares and securities for two plots measuring 1,200sqft each at Aiginia in 2010. But, the company did not provide the land nor did it return their money. “The cheques the company had given bounced as there was no balance in their bank accounts,” said Surabhi.

Besides, a group of people from Nayagarh lodged a complaint against one Khyanaprabha Ojha, who had formed an organisation called Asahay Shramajibi Mahila Samiti to provide loans to poor women in the area under mission Shakti, but took away more than Rs 50 lakh from them. Samiti agent Goutam Pradhan said Khyanaprabha had encouraged the women to pay Rs 7,200 each to get loans of Rs 30,000 under government projects.

“That woman built faith among her clients showing them photographs of her with energy and information and public relation minister Arun Sahu. People trusted her and deposited money. But she did not provide them loans. Now, people are after me, so I have lodged a complaint with the crime branch,” said Pradhan.