Bhubaneswar/Jajpur, July 28: In a new twist to the mines-related cheating controversy involving a BJD leader, another Jharkhand-based mining company has claimed that it was duped of Rs 20 lakh.

Murar Industries, Jharkhand, alleged that Chadan Rout, a former Jajpur unit chief of youth BJD and Biswanath Satpathy, a self-styled journalist, who had earlier cheated a mining company by impersonating as steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty, had collected the amount from its officials for renewing its mining licence.

“Chandan Rout and Biswanath Satpathy had impersonated as Orissa’s steel and mines minister and cheated Murar Industries of Rs 20 lakh,” Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Akhilesh Kumar Jha told The Telegraph over phone today. “We have brought the duo on remand for interrogation. Further investigations are on to find out whether any other fraud was committed by the duo. There is a possibility that they committed more frauds,” said Jha. The SSP, however, parried the question as to whether any senior BJD leader was behind the frauds. “We have not found out who are behind the crime,” he said.

Rout happens to be the former Jajpur district unit president of the BJD’s youth wing and had posed as the state’s steel and mines minister. At the time of his arrest, he had claimed to have close links with several ministers and senior BJD leaders. Satpathy, a self-styled scribe, had posed as the personal assistant of the steel and mines minister.

The Opposition Congress and BJP have demanded a high-level probe into the involvement of Mohanty and other departmental officials.

Both the accused were in the remand of the Jharkhand police following their arrest on the charge of duping Saha Brothers, a mining company, of Rs 15.5 lakh after promising to get its lease for the closed Karamada mines in Keonjhar district renewed.

“The two accused confessed to have collected Rs 20 lakh from Murar Industries. The agreed amount was paid in instalments to Satpathy, who posed as the minister’s personal assistant,” said inspector in-charge of Bishnupur police station Pramod Kumar Singh. “We suspect more persons to be involved in the two fraud cases. We are looking for them,” said IIC Singh. Police also suspect involvement of the arrested duo in more such fraud cases.

Speaking to The Telegraph, steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty said: “I don’t know them. They are fraudsters who are cheating the mine-owners. Stern action should be taken against such fraudsters.”

Following their revelation, the Jharkhand police contacted Murar Industries officials, who confirmed the crime and identified the accused. The officials said the money was handed over to Satpathy in the presence of Ajay Murar, the proprietor of the company.

The company officials immediately lodged a complaint with Bishnupur police in Jamshedpur yesterday against the duo accusing them of duping the company of Rs 20 lakh. On the basis of the complaint, a case has been registered under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 34 of IPC has been registered against the accused duo.