Bhubaneswar, Sept. 12: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) today recommended a CBI probe into the fake job racket that has been spreading its tentacles for the past five months in the region.

At least 10 persons, including five railway employees, were arrested in past few months for allegedly collecting lakhs of rupees from unemployed youths promising to provide them jobs in the railways.

"In view of large-scale operations indicating involvement of many outsiders in the forgery racket, the railways requested the CBI to take over the case. The decision was taken after a number of youths complained about the racket," reads the railways press release.

So far, more than 50 youths have lodged complaints at the Chandrasekharpur and Nayapalli police stations alleging fraud to the tune of Rs 1 crore.

It is also alleged that some of the youths had also undergone medical tests conducted by the frauds in the railway hospital here.

Besides, a few aspirants have also alleged that they were given training for one month at Mancheswar.

Some of the duped aspirants had also alleged that they were provided salary of one month after signing offer letters.

The vigilance wing of the railways has taken up the investigation to find out possible involvement of insiders in the racket. "As the crime involved inter-state ramification, our probe cannot unearth the nexus. The central agency can unearth the racket and go to the roots," said a senior railway official.

On September 5, Nayapalli police arrested Kishore Behera, a grade-II technician of the Bansapani electrical division of the railways from neighbouring Jharkhand, for duping five persons of a family of Rs 22 lakh on the pretext of providing them jobs in ECoR.

Again on September 8, the Chandrasekharpur police arrested two persons, including a class IV employee, for cheating youths of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of providing them jobs.

The duped youths, however, welcomed the CBI probe.

"We strongly suspect that the brokers were working hand in gloves with some senior railway officials as few among us have received extensive training inside the carriage repair workshop. If any senior official was not involved how could we manage to enter the workshop without any difficulties," said an aspirant.

On the other hand, the railways officials said they would start a massive awareness campaign to make youths aware about the racket.

"The Indian Railways never conducts any recruitment without notification and the results are also published on its website. Besides, there are no viva voce tests during recruitment," said an ECoR official.