BHUBANESWAR: The CBI on Wednesday carried out searches at 12 locations in five districts of Odisha as part of its ongoing investigation into the Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) recruitment scam.
Sources said searches were conducted on the premises of individuals involved in the case, including middlemen and those engaged in producing forged matriculation certificates of the Uttar Pradesh Board and the NIOS. The searches spanned across five districts - Khurda (Bhubaneswar), Kalahandi, Balangir, Sambalpur and Keonjhar.
“The searches led to recovery of several incriminating documents and articles. CBI had already filed charge sheet on December 30, 2024 against 58 accused people - 55 candidates and three middlemen,” sources said.
The central agency had registered a case on May 9, 2023 after the chief postmaster general, Odisha Circle, filed a complaint alleging that some candidates had submitted fake matriculation certificates to secure jobs during the GDS recruitment process in 2023.
The department of Post had flagged irregularities in the recruitment process for GDS, for which online applications were invited on January 27, 2023. During verification, the Odisha Postal Circle found that 63 candidates from various postal divisions had submitted fake and forged 10th pass certificates.