Four arrested in SI recruitment scam in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 The Odisha Police Crime Branch has arrested four persons, including one of the prime accused in the multi-crore Sub Inspector (SI) police recruitment scam, Crime Branch Director General of Police Vinaytosh Mishra said on Friday.

The accused were identified as Muna Mohanty (32) of Baideswar in Cuttack district; Priyadarshini Samal (25) of Mukundpur in Dhenkanal district; and Srikant Maharana (34) and T. Abimanyu Dora (49) of Daspalla in Nayagarh district.

The Crime Branch sources said that the police while investigating the probable leakage of question papers for the recruitment of Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE)-2024 conducted by the Odisha Police Rcruitment Board ascertained that the prime accused Muna Mohanty was running a crime syndicate with the help of other aides under prime accused Sankar Prusty, Panchsoft Technologies Private Limited Drector, located at Patia in Bhubaneswar, subvert the entire SI recruitment examination process by adopting unfair means.

Mohanty actively monitored the entire crime syndicate in close liaise with his agents, who ensures contact with the aspiring candidates, collects original certificates and blank cheques in lieu of providing question papers for the examination and return the same after the deal amount of Rs 20 to 25 lakh was paid.

The scam came to the fore after the interception of three buses carrying 114 candidates and three agents by the Berhampur Police in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on September 29 night.

The police during verification found that the accused Srikant and Muna planned the entire crime incident.

Srikant mobilised the candidates, arranged buses for their conveyance to Vijayanagarm, including accommodation and collection of certificates, before their departure from Bhubaneswar.

Besides, he had also planned to escape from the process of law and took shelter in the farmhouse of his syndicate member T. Abhimanyu Dora of Daspalla with Muna Mohanty.

Meanwhile, on September 27, Muna had booked the buses transporting candidates from Bhubaneswar and paid Rs 2,30,000 from his bank account and the account of his mother.

He also physically supervised the boarding of students in Bhubaneswar on September 29.

Muna Mohanty also engaged three of his agents in the said buses to monitor activities of the candidates up to Vijayanagarm wherein he himself went to Vijayanagarm to book accommodation and shared the location.

As soon as the candidates and three agents were arrested following the interception, Muna, Srikant and others went into hiding by switching off their mobile phones.

Subsequently, the accused also returned the certificates to parents of the accused candidates through the accused Priyadarshini.

The police also arrested Dora for offering safe shelter to the accused persons despite knowing their involvement in the crime.

However, the Crime Branch Director General of Police Mishra said that the prime accused Prusty, who was in Delhi during the arrest of the 114 candidates and the agents, is still absconding and efforts are underway to arrest him.

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