Bhubaneswar: In a significant breakthrough in the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam, the Crime Branch has arrested the alleged mastermind, Shankar Prusty (32), from the Nepal border in Uttarakhand. Prusty, the owner of Panchsoft Technology, was brought to Bhubaneswar from New Delhi by plane and taken straight to the Crime Branch office for interrogation.
Prusty, the director of Panchsoft Technologies Pvt Ltd in Bhubaneswar, allegedly orchestrated the crime with associates Muna Mohanty, Srikanta Maharana, Arabinda Das, T. Abhimanyu Dora, and Priyadarsini Samal. The investigation revealed that Prusty frequently changed his location to evade arrest, but the Crime Branch team successfully tracked him down, the Crime Branch informed through a press release.
During the arrest, the probe team seized incriminating materials, including a Fortuner car (OD07AU9777), two iPhones, a Lava mobile phone, and a passport.
The Crime Branch has already arrested 124 people in connection with the scam.
A four-member Crime Branch team led by DSP Anila Anand had been tracking him and received a tip-off about his presence near the Nepal border.
Upon being asked, Prusty claimed that the allegations levelled against him are false and that he had moved the High Court for anticipatory bail. He also stated that he had no relation with any of the arrested persons and would have appeared in court within a month if allowed.
With Prusty’s arrest, the total number of people arrested in connection with the scam has reached 124. The investigation is underway.
