BHUBANESWAR: After taking over the probe of police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment scam from the state Crime Branch, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made the first arrest in connection with the case on Friday.
The accused identified as Biranchi Nayak, a middleman and close associate of the scam mastermind Sankar Prusty, was apprehended from Paralakhemundi after he reportedly ignored CBI’s summon to appear before it for questioning in connection with the case having inter-state ramifications. Nayak’s name surfaced after the central agency’s officers interrogated another accused Arabinda Das, who was earlier arrested, during his police remand.
Investigation revealed that Nayak played a pivotal role in supervising the entire operation of the Digha module, where hotel accommodations had been booked for the candidates by Das. CBI took Nayak on two-day police remand for further questioning.
Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) had entrusted ITI Limited, a central PSU in Kolkata, with the charge of conducting the SI recruitment examination. ITI Limited had sublet the work to Silicon Tech Lab and key tasks were given to Panchsoft Technologies headed by Prusty. Both Prusty and Silicon’s promoter Suresh Nayak were earlier apprehended by the Crime Branch.
As the CBI widens its probe to dig out more details of the syndicate involved in the scam, sources said the central agency may request the court to take Prusty, his close associate Munna Mohanty and Suresh Nayak on police remand to thoroughly interrogate them. The central agency is also trying to find out if the accused had links with any OPRB officials, they added.