Bhubaneswar: The economic offences wing (EoW) of state police's crime branch arrested the wife of city-based realtor Gayadhar Jena for allegedly cheating customers on the pretext of providing land in the city and its outskirts.

Pankajini Jena was arrested from Kendrapara on Monday for defrauding investors of Rs 17 crore.

The police said Pankajini was the director of Sarala Realcon Pvt. Ltd, which she used to run from Jayadurga Nagar on Cuttack Road with her husband as managing director.

Sources said Gayadhar also produced an Odia film - Chauka Chhaka - starring Pappu Pom Pom, Sambit Acharya, and Nutan. The film was released in 2013.

"The firm started collecting money in 2010 on the pretext of providing housing plots in and around the state capital. This continued till 2013, but failed to provide the plots promised to the customers. The company also did not return the money collected from the prospective buyers," said an EoW sleuth.

The police said a case was registered in March 2015 on the basis of a complaint filed by Rabindra Kumar Panda, dean of IIT, Bhubaneswar, who was among the duped customers. The EoW arrested Gayadhar that same month. Later that year, the investigating agency arrested two other office-bearers of the firm - Nibas Chandra Jena and Kailash Chandra Muduli - in connection with the fraud.

"During the course of our investigations, we found that Pankajini was complicit in the fraud. Subsequently, we tried to nab her but she managed to evade arrest. Finally we arrested her today (Monday)," said the sleuth.

Saheed Nagar police had earlier arrested Gayadhar in June 2013 on charges of duping a customer of Rs 8 lakh. The case was registered after Manoranjan Patnaik lodged a complaint that he had been duped on the pretext of getting a 2,000sqft land in the city.

EoW sleuths said the company had completed seven plotted schemes and was constructing at least 10 real estate projects across Bhubaneswar when Jena and other office bearers were arrested.