Odisha news: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Dec 18: On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched simultaneous raids on properties linked to Khirod Chandra Mallick, the deceased brother of BJD whip and former minister Pramila Mallik, in Sambalpur and Delhi. The raids are part of an investigation into an alleged financial fraud amounting to Rs 231 crore.
Khirod Mallick passed away from a heart attack on September 18, 2024. He was associated with the Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA), which is accused of defrauding multiple nationalized banks across Odisha and other states since 2010. ED sources revealed that he allegedly misused loans intended for lending to self-help groups (SHGs) by submitting fabricated utilization certificates.
Currently, searches are underway at his residential building, the NGO’s office, and another property he owned in Sambalpur, as well as at the BISWA headquarters in Delhi.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed several fraud cases against Khirod and his organization in 2020, prompting the ED to initiate a parallel investigation in 2021.
Khirod Mallick and his son, Debabrata Mallick, were arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Crime Branch in October 2019 for financial irregularities dating back to 2012.
