SI recruitment scam: BJD links of arrested agent Chandan Mallick surface

As the investigation into the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam deepened, a string of startling revelations continued to emerge on Tuesday.

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

Crime Branch has now uncovered the political connections linked to Chandan Mallick — the sixth agent arrested in the case — who was apprehended in Soro on Monday.

The anti-crime agency is yet to confirm the arrest of the accused Chandan.

Local BJD leader Chandan, identified as a close associate of the scam’s alleged mastermind Shankar Prusty, is now at the centre of a fresh political storm.

Photographs of Mallick with some senior BJD leaders, including former Balasore MP Rabindra Jena and BJD vice-president Bobby Das aka Pranab Prakash Das, have surfaced, raising serious questions about the depth of his political ties.

Sources suggest that Mallick was not only a key operative in the scam but also played an active role in BJD’s organisational activities. Despite the surfacing of these images, the BJD has yet to issue any official statement on the matter.

So far, a total of 119 individuals have been arrested in connection with the multi-crore SI recruitment scam. However, the prime accused — alleged mastermind Shankar Prusty and another key conspirator, Muna Mohanty — remain absconding.

The scandal, already dubbed one of the biggest in Odisha’s recent history, has rocked public confidence and raised urgent demands for transparency in recruitment processes.

Chandan, the youth who hails from Ranasahi panchayat of Balasore district, was picked up by the Crime Branch on late Sunday night.

This sixth middleman (Dalal), 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 much-debated case.

Officials have yet to disclose the exact nature of his involvement, but sources suggest that his name emerged during the interrogation of other suspects who were previously arrested in the SI recruitment scam.