TNI Bureau: The arrest of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Dillip Kumar Nayak has put the party in Odisha under serious scrutiny. Nayak, who contested the 2024 Assembly elections from Nimapara against Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, was taken into custody by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on Friday in a land fraud case involving over ₹12.42 crore.
The case dates back to a complaint filed at Badambadi police station in Cuttack in November 2023 by one Bijay Rout of Ranihat Malisahi. Rout alleged that Nayak, before entering politics, had lured him into joint real estate business deals. Between 2015 and 2017, Nayak took ₹3 crore from Rout. In 2018, he took another ₹4 crore for a plot at Bajrakabati in Cuttack but failed to provide the land. He later induced Rout to pay an additional ₹3.42 crore for another plot at Patia in Bhubaneswar, which also never materialised.
The transactions did not stop there. Nayak allegedly took ₹2 crore more from Rout and ₹1 crore from his wife to form a company. Except for returning ₹1 crore, he neither refunded the rest nor provided the promised land. In total, Rout and his wife lost ₹12.42 crore.
EOW sources said Nayak also induced Rout to invest ₹7.42 crore for purchasing land in Pandara, Bhubaneswar, in the informant’s name. Instead, the land was purchased in Nayak’s name. When Rout demanded his money back, Nayak gave 35 cheques worth ₹10.5 crore. Many of these were dishonoured—some for insufficient funds and others due to signature mismatch. It was later alleged that Nayak deliberately altered his signature to ensure the cheques bounced.
The allegations stretch further. In 2021, Nayak reportedly took ₹3.5 crore from Rout for a five-acre plot at Trisulia. Instead of transferring ownership, Nayak became a joint owner himself and secretly sold 2.5 acres without Rout’s knowledge.
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Following Friday’s raid at Nayak’s Badambadi residence, EOW officials seized key documents including sale deeds, power of attorney papers, agreements of sale, and bank records. A five-member team, led by a woman officer, interrogated him for hours and even took him to another location to verify records. The recovered documents are now under scrutiny.
Despite the seriousness of these charges, Nayak has claimed that the case is politically motivated. “It’s a political issue. Time will tell everything. The action against me has been driven by political motives,” he said after the raid.
The EOW has stated that Nayak will be produced before the designated court under the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (OPID) Act in Cuttack. Meanwhile, the investigation into his financial dealings and property records continues.
This case is not just about one leader’s alleged fraud; it questions the political accountability of BJD, which ruled the state for 24 years under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, who is known for his clean image. Nayak was not just an ordinary worker, he was a party candidate, chosen to represent the people of Nimapara in the last election. His arrest raises uncomfortable questions for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Will the BJD leadership treat this case as a personal failing of Nayak, or will it acknowledge that the party itself bears responsibility for fielding such a candidate? Political opponents will no doubt argue that this is symptomatic of deeper problems within Odisha’s political establishment.
For now, one thing is clear: Dillip Nayak’s arrest has shaken Odisha’s political scene. The real test, however, lies ahead. Will Naveen Patnaik act decisively, or will this case become yet another unresolved scandal buried under political convenience?
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