Bhubaneshwar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday issued summons to former Odisha minister and senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Prafulla Samal and his son Prayaskanti Samal in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged land irregularities amounting to multi-crore money laundering.

The father-son duo were summoned in the alleged land scam of Bhadrak Institute of Engineering and Technology, run by them. Prafulla said the summons were vindictive. “The raids are a conspiracy against me. But I would not be cowed down. The ED officials are harassing me,” he said.

The summons came following the agency’s recent raid at the college premises following cases registered against Prafulla by the Odisha Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

ED investigation revealed that Prayaskanti Samal, college secretary Manoj Kumar Goswami and a few others have been involved in misappropriation of the crores of rupees by forgery and cheating.

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During the search operations, the ED seized Rs.9 lakh in cash along with a Toyota Fortuner Car worth Rs.40 lakh. Various incriminating documents, including undated cheques, land agreements and digital devices were also seized, according to the agency officials.

The father-son duo allegedly swindled crores of rupees collected from students as fees to buy lands and flats in Bhubaneswar and other places, the ED has claimed.

According to the ED, the college managing committee allegedly occupied nearly 5.12 acres of land that was kept for the cremation ground of Barapada gram panchayat in Bhandaripokhari block in early 2000.

Academic building, a girls’ hostel, and a market complex have been built over the illegally acquired land brushing aside stiff opposition from the people of Barapada panchayat, said the ED.