Bhubaneswar: Berhampur police arrested 119 persons, including 117 exam aspirants and 2 middlemen, in connection with a massive scam related to the Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment under CPSE-2024.
The arrests were made after a thorough interrogation by the Crime Branch and Berhampur police.
The police investigation revealed that a private agency in Andhra Pradesh was involved in the scam, and the accused were being taken to Srikakulam to take the exam. And most importantly, candidates were asked to pay sums as high as Rs 25 lakh in exchange for guaranteed recruitment.
According to reports, Berhampur Police recently brought back around 119 candidates from Andhra Pradesh for questioning after irregularities were suspected in SI recruitment and took them into custody.
The accused were caught while attempting to take the exam in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, instead of Odisha, with the help of the agency. Srikakulam centre was not a regular coaching institute, but rather an organised setup allegedly designed to manipulate the Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination.
The Berhampur police, with the help of the Crime Branch, are conducting further investigation into the matter.
Notably, the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) had conducted the exam, which was scheduled for October 5 and 6, but was later postponed due to allegations of irregularities.
The arrested persons will be produced in court today. The OPRB has taken serious note of the incident and is working to ensure the integrity of the recruitment process.
