Cuttack: The Odisha Crime Branch interrogated MLA Pradeep Panigrahi’s close associate Sarbeswar Rao Wednesday evening, in connection with the alleged job fraud case due to which many people were duped of large amounts of money. Panigrahi is currently in custody.
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A source said that Rao was the former principal of City College in Berhampur in Ganjam district. He had been absconding since the arrest of Panigrahi.
The Gopalpur MLA and former BJD minister was produced before court as his remand ended Thursday. He was taken to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar for a medical checkup prior to being produced.
Notably, the Crime Branch had taken Panigrahi on a two-day remand starting December 15. During his remand, Panigrahi was grilled about the transactions in his bank accounts.
It has been alleged that Panigrahi was directly involved in taking money from two of the applicants who had been promised jobs by Akash Pathak. The latter had also taken money from a large number of other aspirants on the pretext of providing them jobs in reputed company.
Akash’s personal secretary David Peter has also told the Crime Branch sleuths that both Akash and Panigrahi were involved in duping a large number of job aspirants.
PNN