In a fresh move against a chit-fund fraud case in Odisha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a fugitive accused charged with siphoning off over Rs 17 crore from unsuspecting investors. Debabrata Dutta, who previously ran DNB Food Processing Private Limited, was apprehended in Siliguri, West Bengal, according to the agency. The CBI had earlier noted that Dutta had refused to cooperate with investigators.
Dutta was named a fugitive in the chargesheet submitted on December 26, 2022, in a case involving charges under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978. A Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) had been issued against him on August 5, 2024. Acting on a tip-off, investigators tracked him down and took him into custody in Siliguri on Friday.
Dutta is being transported from Siliguri on transit remand and will be presented before the relevant court in Bhubaneswar, the agency confirmed. In another development, the CBI on August 21 apprehended a Proclaimed Offender who had evaded arrest for close to 23 years in a matter involving the criminal misappropriation of goods worth Rs 9 lakh being transported by truck to customers.
Roop Singh was taken into custody following persistent efforts by investigators, the CBI said in a statement. His co-accused, Arjun Singh, had already been arrested on November 7, 2025, after evading capture for nearly 22 years. The case traces back to an FIR filed on October 4, 1998, at Amalner Police Station in Maharashtra, concerning the theft and misappropriation of goods — including ghee and mung — loaded onto two trucks.