Bhubaneswar: The crime branch's economic offences wing on Friday arrested Odia film producer Anam Charan Sahoo in a Rs 5-crore land fraud case.

Police said they were trying to ascertain whether Sahoo had invested the money of 200 land purchasers in the Odia film industry.

The police said Sahoo, who had produced more than 10 Odia films, including Nijhum Ratira Saathi and the first Odia 3D film Mita Basichi Mu Bhuta Saathire, held the power of attorney of Seven Hills Estate Ltd, which had sold land measuring more than six acres at Matiapada under Pipili tehsil to 200 buyers through plotting between 2003 and 2006.

The firm later hatched a conspiracy with city-based Lingaraj Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and Sahoo and executed sale deeds for the latter causing losses amounting to Rs 5 crore to the initial buyers. In September last year, the buyers had lodged a police complaint. In 2016, the investigating agency had arrested Seven Hills Estates Ltd managing director Mutta Sankar Srinivas and Lingaraj Infrastructure Ltd directors Rohit Saraf and Sajjan Surekha.

In June last year, realtor-cum-film producer Niranjan Rana was arrested for duping buyers of Rs 4 crore on the pretext of providing houses. He had invested their money in at least six Odia films.

At the same time, comedian Pappu Pom Pom had also come under scanner of state police following the arrest of builder-producer Gayadhar Jena for cheating investors.