Odisha Police SI recruitment scam: Arrested Muna Mohanty’s 4 aides nabbed; modus operandi disclosed

In a major breakthrough in the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam, the Crime Branch held a press conference on Thursday and confirmed that it has arrested notorious middleman Muna Mohanty and his aides, who allegedly played a key role in orchestrating the massive job fraud racket.

The meeting highlighted the modus operandi of Mohanty and how he funnelled large sums of money without detection.

The Crime Branch also stated that the arrest marks a critical point in the investigation and has led them close to finalising the list of all candidates accused of malpractice in the scam that shook the state’s recruitment system.

Crime Branch Sheds Light On Operation

Crime Branch Director General (DG) confirmed at the press conference that Muna Mohanty and four others, including aides Sukanta Maharana alias Rinku and Srikanta Maharana, have been taken into custody.

The accused were nabbed from near Daspalla in Nayagarh district last night, hours after Muna narrowly escaped a raid at a farmhouse where he was hiding.

The DG said Muna’s network operated with multiple layers of coordination, from transporting candidates to exam centres to collecting money through family bank accounts.

“We have traced transactions routed through accounts belonging to Muna’s relatives. He ferried candidates in his car to pre-decided centres where cheating was facilitated,” the DG revealed.

Another accused, Soumya Priyadarshini, allegedly managed original certificates of aspirants and coordinated with brokers to ensure compliance. “We are also making efforts to nab Shankar Prusty, who played a central role in the scam. He cannot evade arrest for long,” the DG added.

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Probe Expands After Key Arrests

According to Crime Branch sources, the scam involved the sale of around 300 SI posts, exposing serious irregularities in the examination conducted by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB). Preliminary findings indicate that candidates paid large sums to secure ‘friendly’ exam centres, where assistance was arranged to ensure their success.

During earlier raids, 114 aspirants were caught travelling by buses to designated centres where cheating arrangements had been made while 186 others who took trains managed to escape and are currently being traced.

The Crime Branch has obtained a detailed list of candidates involved in the scam and is tracking down those who absconded. Officials said that once full verification is complete, more arrests are likely in the coming days.

Mastermind Flees Abroad, Seeks Bail

Meanwhile, Shankar Prusty, the alleged mastermind and head of Panchsoft Company, has approached the Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail. His wife, Deeptimayi Sahu, and middleman Muna Mohanty had also filed similar petitions before Muna’s arrest.

Investigators suspect that Shankar fled to Dubai via Nepal soon after the scandal surfaced. Crime Branch officials said they are coordinating with central agencies to trace his whereabouts and stated that he will be brought back to the country soon to face justice.