The CBI is actively conducting searches at 67 locations across Odisha in connection with a suspected recruitment fraud within the postal department. Officials announced this on Thursday.
The CBI’s action is based on a year-old complaint from the postal department, which alleged that 63 candidates who took the Gramin Dak Sevaks Exam had submitted fraudulent certificates.
A total of 204 officials, including 122 CBI officers and 82 personnel from other departments, descended upon multiple premises in Kalahandi, Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, and Bhadrak. Their objective was to expose an organized interstate gang that provided these fake certificates.
CBI spokesperson mentioned in a statement that: ‘These certificates were purportedly issued by various education boards, including the Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Allahabad; West Bengal Board, Kolkata; and Jharkhand Academic Council, Ranchi. The complaint indicates an interstate racket’s alleged involvement in generating and supplying these counterfeit certificates in collaboration with the candidates.’
The current searches follow the FIR registered by the CBI almost a year ago based on the postal department’s complaint, which stated that 63 Gramin Dak Sevak Exam candidates submitted forged or fake certificates in the 2023 Odisha Circle recruitment.
The postal department was recruiting for 1,382 Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) positions, with applications invited online starting January 27, 2023. The minimum qualification requirement was a 10th pass from a recognized board, with proficiency in the regional language as a must. Candidates were required to submit their documents on a centralized server.
‘The selection process was automated and depended on the grades secured in the 10th standard. Selected candidates were informed via SMS and email and were asked to report to the verifying authority within 15 days for document verification prior to their appointment,’ the CBI spokesperson elaborated.
Upon verification, the Odisha postal circle found that 63 candidates from multiple postal divisions, such as Baleswar, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, and Barhampur, had submitted counterfeit 10th pass certificates.
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