CBI lodges FIR in Odisha police recruitment scam case

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board, which conducts the exam, had outsourced the recruitment process to ITI Limited, which further sub-contracted the execution to Silicon Tech Lab Pvt Ltd.

Published on: Nov 13, 2025, 17:01:37 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in a case related to the alleged question paper leak in the Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) 2024 in Odisha.

The FIR has charged 114 candidates, including alleged masterminds Shankar Prusty and Munna Mohanty, of committing “organised crime and sabotaging the public examination for monetary and wrongful gain”.

According to the FIR lodged at the anticorruption branch police station of the agency in Bhubaneswar, the suspects have been booked under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 111, 61(2), and 3(5), along with Sections 11(1) and 12(1) of the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024.

The FIR noted that the examination for the post of sub-inspector of police and equivalent ranks was scheduled for October 5 and 6, 2025. But acting on confidential inputs, police officials in Berhampur town intercepted three buses near the bordering area of Ichhapuram in Andhra Pradesh on September 30 night. As many as 114 candidates of the SI recruitment exam were found being transported in air-conditioned buses and when questioned, the aspirants allegedly confessed to being in touch with kingpins Mohanty of Bhubaneswar and Prusty, among others, who had allegedly leaked confidential information relating to the question paper. Each candidate had reportedly paid ₹25 lakh for access to the leaked question paper.

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB), which conducts the exam, had outsourced the recruitment process to ITI Limited, which further sub-contracted the execution to Silicon Tech Lab Pvt Ltd. The latter had engaged Panchsoft Tech Lab Pvt Ltd for field-level activities, including centre vetting, frisking, and supervision. Preliminary investigation revealed the direct and indirect involvement of certain individuals linked to Silicon Tech Lab and Panchsoft Tech Lab, who allegedly facilitated the nexus.

The case originated from an FIR registered at Golanthara Police station of Berhampur on September 30, after which it was transferred to state CID.

The CBI said officials from OPRB as well as those in ITI Ltd would be interrogated to understand the full extent of the conspiracy and the role of various individuals and organisations involved in the alleged scam.

B Samal, additional superintendent of police at CBI’s ACB Bhubaneswar, is leading the investigation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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