In a significant development in the ongoing Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned a senior IPS officer for questioning.
Sources indicate that the officer’s involvement surfaced during the intense interrogation of key accused, including alleged mastermind Shankar Prusty.
The CBI, which took over the case in November 2025, has been unravelling an interstate racket involving middlemen and brokers promising leaked question papers in exchange for hefty sums—up to Rs 25 lakh per candidate. The recruitment exam for 933 posts, scheduled for October 2025, was cancelled amid allegations of widespread malpractices.
Recently, the agency placed three prime accused—Shankar Prusty (owner of Panchsoft Technologies), Suresh Nayak (promoter of Silicon Tech Lab), and associate Sagar Goud—on a four-day remand. Their questioning yielded crucial leads, prompting the summons to the senior IPS officer. Additionally, CBI officials have questioned an SP-rank officer from the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) regarding irregularities in the tender process for conducting the exam.
The probe has exposed deep interstate connections. The CBI has arrested Amit Bharati, a middleman from Bihar, who allegedly coordinated with Odisha-based fixers to lure candidates. This follows the earlier arrest of another Bihar resident, Nitish Kumar, highlighting the racket’s spread across states like Bihar, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh.
CBI sources revealed that interrogations of Prusty and others have provided evidence of a broader conspiracy, including potential insider roles within the police recruitment system. The agency is also planning further arrests of out-of-state brokers as more clues emerge.
The scam first came to light in September 2025 when police intercepted buses carrying candidates allegedly en route to access leaked papers. Since then, over a dozen arrests have been made, including middlemen, a police constable, and exam centre officials.
As the investigation intensifies, thousands of genuine aspirants await justice, with demands growing for a thorough cleanup of the recruitment process.
