BHUBANESWAR: The state Crime Branch (CB) on Friday arrested four more persons, including a woman, for their alleged involvement in the police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment scam.
The CB said that the four accused Priyadarsini Samal, T Abhimanyu Dora, Arabinda Das and Biswaranjan Behera were agents and part of the syndicate run by the key accused, Sankar Prusty, the director of Panchsoft Technologies private limited, who is still at large. The arrests come a day after the agency apprehended Sankar’s two main associates Muna Mohanty and Srikanta Maharana alias Rinku.
In a statement issued earlier in the day, CB said that while investigating the probable leak of question paper for Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) 2024, the investigators found out that Muna had no known sources of income, but maintained a lavish lifestyle and was staying in Bhubaneswar’s Jagamara area. Munna came under our scanner and it was established that he and Srikanta had close links with Sankar, it added.
While addressing mediapersons at the agency’s headquarters in Cuttack on the day, Director General of Crime Branch Vinaytosh Mishra said, “Sankar was running the syndicate with the assistance of Muna and Srikanta. He had planned to subvert the entire examination process, break down the government machinery and create a disbelief in the minds of the public by adopting unfair means.”
Sankar did not come into the picture directly and used his agents/middle men to reach out and lure the SI exam candidates. While he actively monitored the entire illegal operation, his agents collected original certificates and blank cheques from the aspirants on the promise of providing them SI jobs.
The middlemen had assured the candidates to return their certificates after they were selected for the job. Each candidate was asked to pay Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for the purpose. After the group, led by Sankar, orchestrated the entire plan, Muna had reportedly booked three buses from Tulsi Tours and KSN Tours and Travels in Bhubaneswar on September 27 by paying Rs 2.30 lakh.
“On September 29, Muna was present on the spot and had supervised the boarding of the candidates in three buses from Khandagiri area. He had engaged at least three agents to monitor the candidates till they reached Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. He even went to Andhra Pradesh to book the accommodation of the candidates,” said Mishra.
As the candidates were arrested before they could reach their destination, Muna and his associates slipped away along with their certificates. Another accused, Priyadarsini, then returned the certificates of the candidates to their parents, he added. CB officials said T Abhimanyu had even provided shelter to Muna and Srikanta at his farmhouse in Daspalla in a bid to help them evade arrest. So far, about 150 digital devices have been seized and 123 people arrested in connection with the case. Further investigation into the matter is underway and efforts are on to nab Sankar, they added.
