Odisha Police SI recruitment scam: Four accused, two aspirants quizzed by CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday began an intensive interrogation in the Odisha Police SI examination scam after taking four accused into three-day custody. They are being questioned face-to-face along with two job aspirants.

Also Read: Police SI recruitment scam: CBI grills three more candidates in Bhubaneswar

A CBI team reached Special Jail-Bhubaneswar in Jharpada locality of the Capital City earlier in the day to bring the accused for questioning.

According to sources, the agency is conducting interrogation at its Bhubaneswar office with four key accused middlemen, Lokanath Sahu, Tofim Ahmad Khan, SSB jawan Biswaranjan Behera and Biswajit Harichandan.

The CBI had previously sought a four-day remand from the Special CBI Court, but the court granted permission for a three-day custodial interrogation. The questioning during the remand period will focus on the alleged conspiracy and the money trail linked to the exam scam.

Mastermind of the scam, Shankar Prusty, was earlier brought on remand and interrogated by the CBI team. However, these four accused are being questioned for the first time. It is expected that some vital information can be extracted from them.

A technical team has arrived in Bhubaneswar from New Delhi. It is said that the team has expertise in probing into job frauds, question paper leaks, and exam scams.

No comments were received from the CBI team in this regard.

Worth mentioning, three more candidates had appeared before the CBI at its office on Monday in Bhubaneswar in connection with the scam, submitting documents sought by the investigators.

The agency is probing how an organised network manipulated the prestigious examination process, why private firms were involved, and who coordinated the fraud across districts.