Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has accused the Crime Branch of attempting to protect influential figures allegedly involved in the ₹250-crore Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam. Addressing a press conference at Shankha Bhavan, BJD Spokesperson and Media Coordinator Dr. Lenin Mohanty said that the investigation appeared to focus only on lower-level operatives while sparing senior leaders and top police officials.
Dr. Mohanty alleged that the Crime Branch seemed “jubilant” after the arrest of Muna Mohanty and Rinku Maharana, two close associates of the main accused, Shankar Prusty, nearly three weeks after the scam surfaced. He criticised the Director General (DG) of the Crime Branch for expressing satisfaction over the arrests while avoiding questions about the broader “history trail” of the scam. According to Dr. Mohanty, when a journalist asked the DG when the agency would act against high-profile individuals, the DG merely smiled and said, “You find that out.”
“This response has shocked not just the BJD but the entire state,” Dr. Mohanty said, adding that the investigation seemed designed to “arrest a few minor players and suppress the real faces behind the scam.”
The BJD leader further pointed out that the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) was responsible for recruiting 933 Sub-Inspectors, but the process was handed over to ITI, a Central government agency. ITI reportedly outsourced the work to Silicon Techlab, which in turn subcontracted it to Panchasoft Technologies. Questioning the chain of outsourcing, Dr. Mohanty asked whether Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s approval was sought before delegating the recruitment process.
He also raised concerns about the alleged involvement of senior police officials, claiming that the Crime Branch was deliberately avoiding an investigation into their roles. “The selective approach of the Crime Branch clearly indicates an attempt to protect powerful individuals linked to the scam,” Dr. Mohanty said.