Odisha Police SI recruitment scam: CBI plans to interrogate 114 candidates linked to case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its probe into the high-profile Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination scam, focusing on candidates who allegedly paid bribes to secure jobs. Statements of the candidates involved are being recorded as the agency works to bust the entire racket.

In the first phase, 10 candidates have already been questioned, while the CBI plans to interrogate all 114 candidates linked to the case, including those out on bail. Officials stated that the agency has obtained significant leads and is actively pursuing the main conspirators behind the alleged scam.

The investigation follows recommendations from the Odisha government, leading to the registration of the case on October 13. Prior to the CBI taking over the case, the Crime Branch and Berhampur police had conducted multiple interrogations and collected all essential documents related to the case.

The probe intensified over the weekend, with four candidates appearing for questioning on Saturday and two others earlier in the morning. Some of these candidates were earlier arrested during the initial Crime Branch investigations. 

Authorities said the fresh rounds of interrogation could help uncover deeper links and shed more light on the methods used to manipulate recruitment data.

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Shankar Prusty, a key accused in the case, was arrested near the Indo-Nepal border after being untraceable for more than a month. During questioning, he was confronted with another accused, Muna Mohanty, to verify how recruitment-related data was allegedly accessed and tampered with.