The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its probe into the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Recruitment Exam 2024 question paper leak, uncovering evidence of organized financial fraud and corporate collusion.
Investigators from the ED’s Bhubaneswar zonal office conducted raids across 12 strategic locations in Odisha and West Bengal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The searches yielded incriminating digital evidence, financial ledgers, and property documents detailing large-scale proceeds of crime.
Roots of the Recruitment Scam
The scandal originally surfaced on September 30, 2025, when Odisha Police intercepted three buses near Ichchapuram along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.
The buses were carrying 114 candidate aspirants toward training spots where leaked examination papers were being provided in exchange for payments ranging between ₹15 lakh and ₹30 lakh per candidate.
The syndicate had also seized candidates’ original academic certificates and blank cheques as “guarantee” deposits.
Following widespread public outcry, the state government canceled the exam, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the primary criminal case.
Vendor Unauthorized Subcontracting and Data Breaches
The money laundering angle focuses on the mismanagement of exam administration. The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) originally outsourced exam operations to central PSU ITI Ltd, which subsequently engaged Bhubaneswar-based IT firm Silicon Techlab Pvt. Ltd. (STPL).
According to ED officials, STPL Director Suresh Chandra Nayak illegally shared confidential candidate data with an unauthorized firm, Panchsoft Technologies Pvt. Ltd., managed by Shankar Prusty.
Financial analysis indicates suspicious monetary transfers between STPL and Prusty prior to the examination date, pointing to a pre-planned conspiracy to monetize leaked questions.
Unregistered Share Transfers and Corporate Collusion
The ED’s financial audit further revealed an undisclosed ownership change. Majority shares of STPL were quietly transferred to PSIL International Ltd. (formerly Pattanayak Steel International Ltd.) via an August 2023 agreement.
However, this transaction was never registered with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Despite losing technical ownership, Nayak continued to illegally correspond with ITI Ltd. as STPL’s operational head, retaining access to confidential printing procedures and question papers.
The roles of PSIL Directors Sameer Rath and Swasti Mishra are currently under scanner for failing to inform state authorities about the unauthorized management structure. Federal investigators expect to issue formal summons to key corporate executives in the coming days as the proceeds-of-crime trail expands.
