The Odisha Police sub-inspector recruitment scam has snowballed into a major embarrassment for the Mohan Majhi government, with 118 people, including 114 candidates, arrested so far.
Mounting a scathing attack, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday demanded a CBI probe into the “multi-crore scam”, which surfaced after 114 candidates were detained on September 29 while being taken to Andhra Pradesh in three buses for “special coaching” arranged by a private agency conducting the test. Each candidate had allegedly paid ₹20 lakh to middlemen for access to leaked question papers for the exam scheduled on October 5–6.
At a media conference, BJD youth wing president Chinmay Sahu, flanked by former minister Pritiranjan Ghadei, claimed “a number of high-profile people” were involved, including the son of a retired police officer. “Unless a CBI probe is ordered by Monday, we will hit the streets,” he warned.
The Congress also demanded a CBI probe into the job scam. “The recruitment process should not have been outsourced to a private company. Only a CBI probe can expose those involved in the scam,” said Congress spokesperson and former minister Debasis Nayak.
However, BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra countered that “job selling” was rampant during the BJD’s rule and said youth “still trust chief minister Majhi’s intent to clean up the system”.
The scandal exposed multiple layers of outsourcing of the test by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) — which first hired ITI Limited, which then subcontracted to Silicon, and finally to Panchsoft Pvt Ltd. The Crime Branch is now hunting for Panchsoft head Shankar Prusty, believed to be the mastermind.
In a statement, the Crime Branch confirmed an “organised criminal syndicate” was behind the paper leak, adding that the gang “subverted the examination process for monetary gain”. On Saturday, police arrested Biswaranjan Behera, accused of collecting original certificates and blank cheques from candidates in exchange for leaked papers.
Chairman of the OPRB Susanta Nath said it was the board itself that raised the red flag. “A case has been registered and investigation is on. The candidates need not worry — new exam dates will be announced soon,” Nath said.
The Majhi government, under fire from both the Opposition and its allies, faces rising public anger as the recruitment process for 700 sub-inspector posts stands indefinitely postponed.