Agniveer hiring scam: Odisha police get nod to arrest two more Navy personnel | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Odisha police have received green signal from Indian Navy to arrest two more serving personnel for their alleged involvement in Agniveer recruitment irregularities in the state, SP (Khurda) Sagarika Nath confirmed on Friday.
Three personnel were arrested on Thursday: INS Chilka’s (Odisha) ‘master chief at arms-II’, Vinay Kumar Ray, INS Kesari’s (Andaman and Nicobar) ‘electrical artificer apprentice-V’, Satyam Chahar, and former Navy employee, Bhooshan. They face accusations of fraud and monetary exploitation of Agniveer candidates during recruitment at INS Chilka under the Agnipath scheme.
“Following protocol, we requested Indian Navy’s permission to arrest two serving personnel stationed at Andaman and Nicobar after discovering evidence of their involvement in recruitment irregularities. The Navy has granted the approval,” Nath told TOI. The identities and positions of the two personnel remain undisclosed.
On Friday, Indian Navy authorities attributed the police crackdown to their robust surveillance and intelligence networks. “Indian Navy’s proactive approach foiled the recruitment malpractice attempt. During routine surveillance operations coinciding with the ongoing Agniveer recruitment process, INS Chilka detected suspicious activity indicating a possible monetary demand from a candidate,” INS Chilka stated in a statement.
“Acting promptly, the Navy surveillance team identified a potential suspect and shared the intelligence with Odisha police authorities of Balugaon police station. Based on this input, the police successfully arrested the accused. The Indian Navy is extending full cooperation to the police in the ongoing investigation,” the official statement said.
The Indian Navy reaffirmed that Agniveer recruitments maintain fairness and transparency. Posts included senior secondary recruit (SSR), matric recruit (MR), Coast Guard navik (general duty) and yantriks (technicians).
The Khurda SP revealed suspicious financial activities across 12 accounts belonging to the three arrested individuals and two suspects. “We’ve uncovered evidence of unexplained banking transactions. Investigation continues,” Nath stated, adding, “Evidence shows the accused demanded between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1.2 lakh per candidate, offering assistance in clearing recruitment stages including document verification, police checks, medical examinations and other procedures through fraudulent means.”
Three personnel were arrested on Thursday: INS Chilka’s (Odisha) ‘master chief at arms-II’, Vinay Kumar Ray, INS Kesari’s (Andaman and Nicobar) ‘electrical artificer apprentice-V’, Satyam Chahar, and former Navy employee, Bhooshan. They face accusations of fraud and monetary exploitation of Agniveer candidates during recruitment at INS Chilka under the Agnipath scheme.
“Following protocol, we requested Indian Navy’s permission to arrest two serving personnel stationed at Andaman and Nicobar after discovering evidence of their involvement in recruitment irregularities. The Navy has granted the approval,” Nath told TOI. The identities and positions of the two personnel remain undisclosed.
On Friday, Indian Navy authorities attributed the police crackdown to their robust surveillance and intelligence networks. “Indian Navy’s proactive approach foiled the recruitment malpractice attempt. During routine surveillance operations coinciding with the ongoing Agniveer recruitment process, INS Chilka detected suspicious activity indicating a possible monetary demand from a candidate,” INS Chilka stated in a statement.
“Acting promptly, the Navy surveillance team identified a potential suspect and shared the intelligence with Odisha police authorities of Balugaon police station. Based on this input, the police successfully arrested the accused. The Indian Navy is extending full cooperation to the police in the ongoing investigation,” the official statement said.
The Indian Navy reaffirmed that Agniveer recruitments maintain fairness and transparency. Posts included senior secondary recruit (SSR), matric recruit (MR), Coast Guard navik (general duty) and yantriks (technicians).
The Khurda SP revealed suspicious financial activities across 12 accounts belonging to the three arrested individuals and two suspects. “We’ve uncovered evidence of unexplained banking transactions. Investigation continues,” Nath stated, adding, “Evidence shows the accused demanded between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1.2 lakh per candidate, offering assistance in clearing recruitment stages including document verification, police checks, medical examinations and other procedures through fraudulent means.”
