The startling disclosure made by Pooja Naik, the prime accused in the sensational jobs-for-cash scam, has given not only a new twist to the saga but has also brought to the fore more questions than answers. Her mind-boggling accusations that a minister, an IAS officer, and a PWD engineer were engaged in the multi-crore ‘jobs-for-cash’ racket have opened a Pandora’s box that raises suspicion over the system and scepticism about her motives and trustworthiness.
Besides naming three high-ranking individuals, Pooja gave other details like a demand to pay the bribe in Rs 2000 notes (between 2019-21); that she would receive commission; that bribe was paid at two Porvorim offices and premises of the Secretariat; that she was informed about vacancies in various department with a price tag to each job; and that none of the 600 applicants who paid bribe got any government job.
Pooja has been in and out of police custody in 2024 and has been extensively interrogated for hours together. Nowhere was it on record that Pooja was not cooperating, nor was there any statement from the prime accused that she was harassed into answering. In March 2025, the police had filed a 120-page chargesheet before the local court. Several FIRs have been filed and arrests made since then. The government had also appealed to victims of the scam to come forward and file complaints.
At the outset, it was obvious that Pooja colluded with high-ranking government officials within the system, and that it was not the handiwork of the prime accused alone. Against this background, why did the police not consider probing beyond Pooja? Are we to consider that the investigating team genuinely were of the belief that Pooja conned the 600 candidates all by herself? Or did the police overlook the finer details because it could backfire on the government? Or were there political forces at play during the investigations, ones that were giving her hope of recovery? Whichever way one looks at the case, the current revelations cause the whole probe to now sound like a sham.
Secondly, the fact that Pooja chose to make a disclosure in a video, rather than talking directly to the police, puts an element of suspicion in the development. Avoiding a direct interaction with the police either means that she has no confidence in the men in uniform or that her ‘deal’ has gone sour. Furthermore, she will have to bring forward some incriminating evidence while linking these high-profile names; just blurting out names will not help. For now, the motives of her disclosure are questionable and need to be thoroughly investigated.
Now that high-ranking government officials and a senior cabinet minister are named, there has to be an independent probe into the charges. Jobs-for-cash scam has struck at the very heart of society, and hundreds of people have been duped. The police will not be able to do justice if there is an involvement of a minister and officers. The government must appoint an independent authority to investigate these charges to bring transparency and fairness into the case.
Pooja’s revelations throw up a bunch of issues regarding her accountability, the systemic rot, and the incorruptibility of the investigation. The issues of her going public in a video, her selectively naming certain officials, and the police remaining clueless suggest that there is a deeper problem. The only way to really get to the bottom of this matter and win back the people’s trust is by carrying out a transparent and unimpeded in-depth investigation. Until then, the truth will be nowhere to be found - obscured by suspicion, motives, and power’s shadows.
