Bhubaneswar, May 14: The Odisha Home Department has placed Aska Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Santosh Kumar Jena under suspension with immediate effect following serious allegations that he failed to pay for gold ornaments purchased from a jewellery shop in Aska.
According to sources, a jeweller from Aska had lodged a complaint alleging that SDPO Jena had taken gold ornaments from his shop but did not clear the payment despite repeated requests. The shopkeeper reportedly approached the Director General of Police (DGP) and also filed a grievance before the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell seeking action in the matter.
The issue gained public attention after the jeweller allegedly uploaded a video on his Facebook account narrating the incident. However, the video was later deleted, and the shopkeeper subsequently closed his Facebook account.
Following the complaint, the Ganjam Superintendent of Police was directed to conduct an inquiry and submit a detailed report. Based on the findings of the report, the Home Department initiated disciplinary action against the officer.
In an official notification, the department stated that Santosh Kumar Jena, an Odisha Police Service (OPS) officer serving as SDPO of Aska, has been suspended under Rule 12(1) of the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1962, pending disciplinary proceedings.
During the suspension period, Jena’s headquarters have been fixed at the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Southern Range, Berhampur. He has been instructed not to leave headquarters without prior permission from the IGP and will remain under the administrative control of the Southern Range office.
The officer will receive subsistence allowance as per Rule 90 of the Odisha Service Code during the suspension period.
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