Bhubaneswar: The arrest of Shankar Prusty, the alleged mastermind of the police sub-inspector recruitment scam, and his startling revelations have sent ripples through political circles, as the accused told the Crime Branch Sunday that a deal worth Rs 1,000 crore was struck during the “previous government” to facilitate the recruitment scam.
Speaking to mediapersons after reaching Bhubaneswar airport, Shankar said, “Had I not surrendered, how could the deal of Rs 1,000 crore have come to the fore? All the evidence regarding the conspiracy to cancel the exam and also those of the conspirators will be produced before the government. I had submitted a bail application to the Orissa High Court and planned to approach the Supreme Court. The HC has given me one month’s time. No case has been lodged against my wife. I have full faith in the law, and I have no connection with any other accused involved in the case.”
After he reached Odisha, he was taken to the Crime Branch headquarters for interrogation. According to officials, a special team had been tracing Shankar as he continuously changed his location to evade arrest. He was nabbed from the Nepal border in Uttarakhand. Later, he was produced in a local court and brought to Odisha on transit remand.
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Following the interrogation, the Crime Branch seized a Fortuner car, three cellphones, and a passport from Shankar. He has been booked under sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 111, 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) read with Sections 11(1) and 12(1) of the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
Officials said the Crime Branch collected vital evidence from the simultaneous interrogation of Shankar and Munna Mohanty, another accused in the scam. Shankar will be produced before the Special Vigilance Court in Berhampur Monday, sources said.
Meanwhile, the BJD targeted the state government by alleging that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) was involved in the recruitment scam. “The mastermind is not Shankar Prusty, it’s the CMO of Odisha, as the state government allowed Punchsoft Technologies to conduct the exam,” said BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.
However, the BJP refuted the allegations, saying the BJD is nervous as its links to the huge scam may be exposed. “The BJD is scared that their connection to this scam might get exposed. All the criminals who roamed free during BJD rule will be nabbed by this government,” said state BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra.
Significantly, a total of 123 people, including 114 candidates, had earlier been arrested in the case. While all the candidates have been released on bail, nine mediators remain in jail. Shankar’s arrest has taken the total number of arrests to 124.
