Mastermind of Odisha SI recruitment exam scam arrested; claims innocence

Bhubaneswar, Nov 2 The alleged mastermind behind the multi-crore Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination scam, Sankar Prusty, who was arrested by the state's Crime Branch from Uttarakhand, claimed innocence on Sunday, saying that a conspiracy had been hatched against him.

The Crime Branch team brought back Prusty to Odisha on Sunday.

Upon arrival at the Bhubaneswar Airport, the accused told media persons, "will give all the information about the persons who have hatched the conspiracy. I was not hiding, I have moved the High Court seeking bail. All the charges against me are false."

He also denied having any connections with other accused persons in connection with the matter.

In an official statement issued on Sunday, the Odisha Police noted that in a significant breakthrough, the Crime Branch has arrested Prusty, 32, a resident of Jagannathpur Junction, under Chamkhandi Police Station in Ganjam district.

It also said that Prusty, the Director of Panchsoft Technologies Private Limited, located at Patia in Bhubaneswar, orchestrated the SI recruitment examination scam along with his other associate, Muna Mohanty, Srikanta Maharana alias Rinku, Arabinda Das, T. Abhimanyu Dora and Priyadarsini Samal.

Notably, after the police busted the scam with the arrest of 114 aspirants and three middlemen in Andhra Pradesh on September 29 night, Prusty, who was then residing in Delhi, soon went into hiding.

A team of the Odisha Crime Branch nabbed Prusty from near Nepal border in Uttarakhand on Saturday while he was trying to flee the country.

He was reportedly planning to travel to Dubai.

The Crime Branch had earlier issued lookout circulars for Sankar Prusty and his close associate, Muna Mohanty, in connection with the Odisha Police SI recruitment examination scam.

However, the police succeeded in apprehending Mohanty and several others from the Dasapalla area of Nayagarh district last month.

On Sunday, the Odisha Police also told that the Crime Branch team seized incriminating documents, Fortuner car, costly mobile phones and passport from the possession of Prusty.

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