Ribandar: The Crime Branch on Sunday recorded the statement of cash-for-jobs scam accused Puja Naik after she claimed that a minister, an IAS officer, and an engineer were also involved with her in the racket.
Naik was arrested last year after the multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam surfaced in the coastal state, in which youth were allegedly cheated with promises of government jobs by middlemen. She was the first to be arrested by the police.
The accused, who is currently out on bail, released a video on Friday claiming that she had accepted money from job aspirants at the behest of a minister, an IAS officer, and an engineer.
She did not name anyone in the video but claimed that the minister owed her Rs 17 crore, which she intended to return to the aspirants.
Following her statement, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday that the police would record Naik’s statement and investigate all related content.
Sawant said that strict action would be taken against those involved in the crime after a thorough investigation.
Accordingly, the Crime Branch summoned Naik on Sunday evening to their office in Ribandar near Panaji.
Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Rahul Gupta told GNH that her statement was recorded.
“The content of her statement is being examined,” he said. When asked whether a separate FIR had been filed in this connection, Gupta said that the course of action was yet to be decided.
