Odisha Police SI recruitment scam: Crime Branch detains another youth from Balasore

Odisha Crime Branch has made further progress in the ongoing investigation into police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam, detaining another suspect late last night. The accused was identified as Chandan Mallik, a youth from Ranasahi panchayat of Balasore district, sources said on Monday.

Also Read: Odisha Police SI recruitment sabotage: Fifth middleman arrested, suspicious documents recovered

Chandan, who had been introducing himself in public as a social worker, is now under scrutiny for his alleged involvement in examination-related malpractice.

According to reliable sources, Chandan was picked up by the Crime Branch following concrete leads in the case.

Officials are yet to disclose the exact nature of his involvement, but sources suggest that his name emerged during the interrogation of other suspects earlier held in the SI recruitment scam.

The investigation is underway, and more detentions are expected as authorities dig deeper into the scam that has rocked the integrity of the recruitment process.

No comments were received from the Crime Branch in this regard.

Worth mentioning, earlier yesterday, the fifth middleman in the police SI recruitment scam in Odisha was arrested by the Crime Branch. The middleman, identified as Arabinda Das, is a resident of Balasore district.

Arabinda has been arrested in connection with a case registered at Golanthara Police Station in Berhampur.

During the investigation, suspicious documents were recovered from Arabinda, which are expected to help trace the broader network involved in the fraud.

Prior to the arrest of Arabinda, 114 candidates and four other middlemen had already been arrested in connection with the case.

Preliminary probes have revealed that the job aspirants were taken out of the State for a ‘special coaching’ while their certificates were allegedly held as collateral until payments were completed.

Reported By: Chandrakant Jena