The Odisha Crime Branch has apprehended five individuals in Bolangir for allegedly using forged matriculation certificates to obtain Grameen Dak Sevak (GDS) positions within the postal department.
The accused—Kulamani Rana, Ajaudin Kumbhar, Rajat Kumar Naik, Sudhir Bhue, and Tophan Bag—were arrested following an investigation into fraudulent activities linked to the 2023 recruitment drive.
This operation is part of a wider crackdown on certificate forgery in Odisha, where authorities discovered a network distributing fake academic documents across multiple districts. Earlier efforts led to the arrest of 20 suspects, including a key figure, Abhijeet Kumar Bhakat. Investigators revealed that a coaching centre in Bolangir charged candidates between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5,00,000 for counterfeit certificates that falsely inflated marks up to 98-100%. Suspicion arose when many recruits failed essential English and Odia tests.
Due to the scam’s interstate connections, the postal department has called for a CBI investigation. The central agency recently conducted searches in Bhubaneswar, Kalahandi, and Keonjhar, seizing digital files and forged papers.
The probe is ongoing, with further arrests anticipated as authorities work to dismantle the fraud ring. This case highlights growing concerns about recruitment fraud and stresses the need for stricter government hiring checks.
