Padmini Rout’s father accused of fraud

Ashok Rout, father of famous Odia woman grandmaster Padmini Rout has landed in soup after several persons, including parents of some prominent chess players of Odisha accused him of duping them of lakhs of rupees.

The victims include Woman grandmaster Kiran Manisha Mohanty, chess players Rakesh Nayak and Adyasa Pattnaik, among others.

The family members of these chess players today lodged complaints with the economic offences wing of crime branch seeking action against the managing director of Star Consultancy Services, Tribeni Mohanty, who had also produced the movie Tu Tha Mu Jauchhi Rushi.

Tribeni was arrested twice on December 27 in 2010 and on April 26 in 2011 by Saheed Nagar police following complaints by several investors, who had been cheated by the company. There are several cases pending against the company as it had allegedly cheated people of more than Rs 500 crore in various projects.

Rout, however, said that he was unaware of the fraudulent activities of the company.

“I am also a victim of the fraud company,” he said.

Puspalata Mohanty, mother of budding chess player Adyasha Pattnaik, said she had invested Rs 5 lakh with Star Consultancy Services, a dubious deposit collection company, after Ashok Rout, the father of international chess player Padmini Rout, lured her to deposit the money with the company.

Chess player brothers Rakesh Nayak and Rajesh Nayak are also bearing the brunt of the same mistake. Both had to give up their careers after their parents lost a hefty amount of Rs 8.45 lakh to this fraud company. Their mother Sushama Nayak said that she had gathered this amount taking loans from her near and dear ones after Rout lured her to invest in the company for a bright future of her wards.

Similarly, the first woman grandmaster of Odisha Kiran Manisha Mohanty’s mother Manjubala Mohanty had invested Rs 25 lakh with the company after being lured by Rout.

Deputy inspector general of police Rajesh Kumar said that he had received the complaints today.

“We are verifying the allegations,” he said.