Postal job fraud busted in Odisha; 5 ‘Grameen Dak Sevak’ held in Bolangir

The Odisha Crime Branch has arrested five individuals from Bolangir district for allegedly submitting forged matriculation certificates to secure Grameen Dak Sevak (GDS) roles in the postal department during 2023. The accused have been identified as Kulamani Rana (24), Ajaudin Kumbhar (28), Rajat Kumar Naik (32), Sudhir Bhue (27) and Tophan Bag (45).

The arrests followed a complaint filed by the Bolangir postal division in March 2023, prompting an investigation by the local police and eventual takeover by the Crime Branch. Inspector‑General Sarthak Sarangi confirmed the accused used fake Class 10 certificates to cheat their way into postal jobs.

This recent action is part of a broader probe into the racket. Earlier investigations resulted in 20 arrests, including the key accused Abhijeet Kumar Bhakat, for forging educational documents. 

In March 2023, Bolangir police had also detained 21 individuals-including 19 job aspirants and the owner of a coaching centre-after uncovering over 1,000 fake certificates from universities nationwide.

The coaching centre allegedly charged Rs 50,000–500,000 per fake certificate, often inflating marks up to 98–100%, raising suspicion when multiple candidates began failing simple English and Odia tests.

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Given the scam’s multi-state connections, the postal department has recommended a CBI investigation. 

The central agency recently conducted searches at 12 locations across Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, and Keonjhar, seizing digital devices and forged documents.