After getting the central government’s approval, the CBI has registered an FIR and taken over the probe into alleged irregularities in Odisha’s police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment examination.
Officials said the central agency will investigate the “attempts, abetments and conspiracies” in connection with the alleged scam. An officer of Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) rank has been assigned to investigate the matter. The agency will soon form a team and conduct searches, said officials.
The recruitment scam came to light after an anonymous phone call on September 30 tipped off police in Odisha’s Berhampur about a possible paper leak in the examination scheduled for October 5 and 6. Based on this, police intercepted three buses carrying 114 aspirants to Hyderabad, allegedly for intensive coaching on solving the leaked question paper. The bust led the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) to postpone the exam indefinitely, citing “unforeseen” circumstances.
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Though the Crime Branch of the Odisha Police had taken up the investigation and arrested 126 people, including the 114 aspirants and the alleged mastermind of the scam, Sankar Prusty, the suspected involvement of an “organised criminal syndicate and influential persons” forced the state government to hand over the case to the CBI, officials said. Heads of private firms involved in the recruitment process have also been arrested. A local court in Berhampur recently granted bail to the 114 aspirants.
“The spread of the scam to multiple states, such as Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, is part of the reasons why the probe has been handed over to the CBI. The Crime Branch of the Odisha Police will hand over the case files, evidence and other details of the investigations to the CBI,” said a senior police officer.
The investigation so far has revealed that the alleged syndicate involved in the scam contacted aspirants and took money from them to give them coaching on “selected questions”. The candidates had agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh each in instalments — Rs 10 lakh initially and the rest after getting some “confidential information” related to the examination. Prusty is accused of being the leader of the syndicate and is alleged to have been operating through his agents.
The CBI probe may reveal more about the influential individuals backing Prusty in the scam.
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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.
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