Bhubaneswar/Dhenkanal: Officials have confirmed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has apprehended businessman Ratikanta Rout in Bhubaneswar as part of an investigation into financial misconduct.

Rout, who resides in Kalarahanga, is known for his involvement in the stone quarry and crusher industry in Dhenkanal.

The ED initiated a case against him in 2020.

“Rout was taken into custody on Thursday during questioning at the ED office in Bhubaneswar,” stated an official.

This arrest occurs in the context of a bribery investigation involving a former ED official in the state.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) previously detained Chintan Raghuvanshi, who served as the deputy director of the ED in Odisha, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from Rout in exchange for leniency in the ongoing case.

Reports indicate that the ED officer had sought Rs 2 crore from the businessman.

Raghuvanshi was arrested by the CBI, along with an intermediary, in May of the previous year following the purported bribe transaction.