Bhubaneswar, Nov 12: In a breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the large-scale organized criminal conspiracy involving the adoption of unfair means in the Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE-2024), the Crime Branch has apprehended Sagar Kumar Gouda, a close aide of the key accused Sankar Prusty.
Sagar (22) is a resident of Balipada under Berhampur Sadar Police Station in Ganjam district.
According to the Crime Branch, Sagar Gouda has been identified as the principal associate and close aide of the key accused Sankar Prusty, the alleged mastermind behind the CPSE-2024 examination malpractice.
Investigations have revealed that Gouda played a pivotal role in supervising the entire operation, coordinating logistics and ensuring the smooth execution of the fraudulent plan on the ground.
Acting under the instructions of Sankar Prusty, Gouda is said to have arranged accommodations and handled operational tasks crucial to the conspiracy. Evidence shows that he visited Digha on September 29, where hotel rooms had been booked by another accused, Aravinda Das, for the candidates involved in the scam.
As per the criminal plan, Gouda was to oversee the secret operations at Digha in direct coordination with Prusty.
Further investigations have confirmed that Gouda had been working closely with Prusty for a considerable period, facilitating several aspects of the illegal activities linked to the examination malpractice. His arrest marks another significant step forward in uncovering the extensive network behind the scam.
So far, the Crime Branch has arrested a total of 126 individuals in connection with the case.
On Tuesday, the Union Government has approved a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the multi-crore Odisha Police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination scam.
Following serious allegations of corruption and large-scale irregularities in the CPSE-2024 examination for the recruitment of Sub-Inspectors, the Crime Branch had launched an extensive investigation. The CPSE-2024 examination, which was scheduled for October 5 and 6, 2025, has been postponed indefinitely pending further inquiry.
