Odisha SI Exam Scam: Conspirators Will Be Exposed, Says Accused
Crime Branch brings accused mastermind Shankar Prusty from Delhi; he claims innocence and vows to expose those behind SI exam cancellation.
Bhubaneswar: Shankar Prusty, the alleged mastermind behind the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination scam, was brought to Bhubaneswar on Saturday from New Delhi by a Crime Branch team. Prusty, who had been absconding for several weeks, was arrested near the Nepal border in Uttarakhand while reportedly preparing to flee to Dubai.
Speaking to media persons upon his arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Prusty claimed he was being falsely implicated.
“Those who conspired to cancel the exam will be exposed. I was not hiding; I was pursuing legal remedies. I had applied for anticipatory bail, and the High Court had granted me time. No case has been filed against my wife. All allegations against me are false. I have full faith in the judiciary. I have no links with the other accused,” he said.
The Crime Branch brought Prusty to the state on a transit remand and immediately took him to its headquarters for interrogation.
A native of Ganjam district, Prusty is the director of Panchsoft Technologies Pvt. Ltd., based in Patia, Bhubaneswar. He allegedly went underground after the recruitment scam surfaced. The Crime Branch had earlier issued lookout circulars against him and his close associate Muna Mohanty.
Mohanty was arrested on October 17 from Dasapalla in Nayagarh district, while Prusty is believed to have fled to Nepal via Delhi shortly after the arrest of 114 SI aspirants linked to the scandal.
The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) subsequently postponed the written examinations scheduled for October 5 and 6, following reports of leaked question papers. Investigations revealed that several aspirants had paid hefty sums to middlemen to gain access to the papers.
Amid mounting outrage and political pressure, the state government recently recommended a CBI probe into the alleged multi-crore scam, which is suspected to have interstate ramifications.
According to the Crime Branch, Mohanty—who had no stable source of income—led a lavish lifestyle in Jagamara, Bhubaneswar, and headed a network that facilitated the sale of leaked papers to candidates. The racket allegedly involved several associates, including Srikanta Maharana alias Rinku, Arabinda Das, Biswaranjan Behera, T. Abhimanyu Dora, and Priyadarsini Samal, all reportedly operating under Prusty’s directions.
Investigators believe the group systematically undermined the recruitment process, eroding public trust in government examinations. As per preliminary findings, the accused collected original certificates and blank cheques from aspirants in exchange for leaked papers, allegedly charging between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh per candidate.
