The Odisha government on Wednesday decided to hand over the probe of the alleged irregularities in the police sub-inspector recruitment drive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to an official statement, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved a proposal to hand over the investigation to the central agency citing the spread of the scam to multiple states such as Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Involvement of an inter-state organised criminal syndicate in the “scam” is also being suspected.
The Crime Branch of Odisha Police, which is currently investigating the case, has so far arrested 123 people including 114 aspirants for the police SI job. Officials said the CBI would soon register a case and launch a probe into the matter.
“The decision to hand over the probe to the CBI to uncover the scam and to take exemplary action against those involved in the scam,” said an official.
The “scam” came to fore after an anonymous phone call on September 30 tipped the Berhampur police off about a possible paper leak in the exam scheduled for October 5 and 6. Based on this, the police intercepted three buses carrying 114 aspirants to Vizianagaram for intensive coaching on the question paper.
The candidates had agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh each in instalments – Rs 10 lakh initially and the rest once the job is confirmed, said police after the probe.
Later, the Crime Branch probe confirmed that rooms were booked for 110 more aspirants at a hotel in Digha in West Bengal for similar special coaching on selected questions. No one turned up after police detained the buses proceeding to Vizianagaram.
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Investigators believe the crime syndicate was operating under the instructions of Sankar Prusty, director of Bhubaneswar-based Panchsoft Technologies Pvt Ltd — the private entity engaged as a sub-contractor in the examination process. The company has since been sealed. The CBI probe will dig deeper to know who was behind Prusty.
The bust led the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) to postpone the exam indefinitely, citing “unforeseen” circumstances. Around 1.53 lakh people had applied for 933 police sub-inspector posts, with officials saying the exam will be held once the probe concludes.
