Bhubaneswar: Fresh details have emerged in the high-profile Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealing in its recent chargesheet how private agencies allegedly manipulated the examination process by secretly swapping question paper sets at a Kolkata printing press, all while keeping the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) in dark.
The chargesheet, filed on January 2 before a special CBI court, details a sophisticated conspiracy involving subcontracted firms that compromised the integrity of the Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE)-2024, originally scheduled for October 5 and 6, 2025. The exam, aimed at filling over 900 posts including sub-inspectors, was abruptly cancelled on September 30, 2025, following the detection of irregularities.
According to the CBI document, the OPRB appointed ITI Limited, Kolkata, as system implementation partner on December 31, 2024. The ITI first subcontracted Rich Mind Digital Pvt Ltd, later cancelled on May 28, 2025. Silicon Techlab Pvt Ltd was appointed on July 9, 2025, for question paper handling, printing, centre audits, and logistics. Silicon Techlab illegally engaged Punchsoft Technologies Pvt Ltd, headed by alleged mastermind Shankar Prusty, without approval from OPRB or ITI.
The chargesheet further revealed that the board chose Set No. 5 as the primary and, at the suggestion of Silicon Techlab promoter Suresh Nayak, also an accused in the case, selected Set No. 3 as a backup.
On September 9, 2025, OPRB Chairman Susanta Nath, member Awinash Kumar, and Nayak visited Saraswati Printing Press in Kolkata, where Nayak handed over what was purported to be Set No. 5. However, the next day, Nayak allegedly returned alone, contacted the press in-charge Pinaki Dey, and claimed a “mistake” had occurred. He then replaced the contents of the packet with Set No. 3, ensuring the backup set was printed and distributed instead — allowing the syndicate to leak the actual questions in advance.
The printed papers were sealed and transported under police escort to Cuttack for storage.
The investigators concluded that the gang, along with Silicon Techlab and Punchsoft, organized an interstate racket to sabotage a public examination for financial gains. They had planned to leak papers for up to Rs 25 lakh per candidate, with operations extending to Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
On September 30, 2025, police intercepted three buses carrying 114 candidates and three brokers en route to Vijayanagaram. Biswajit Harichandan, one of the accused, played a key role in mobilising and guiding candidates. Over 130 arrests have been made since the scam surfaced, initially probed by Odisha Crime Branch before being handed over to the CBI in November 2025 due to its interstate ramifications.
The CBI had named 16 individuals in its preliminary chargesheet filed last month. It had identified Prusty as the prime accused in the case. The others included Nayak as well as Sankar’s close associates Muna Mohanty and Arabinda Das.
