Overview
- The CBI lodged the case in Bhubaneswar and assigned Additional SP B Samal to lead the investigation, with teams to be formed and searches planned.
- The FIR invokes multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, naming 114 candidates and alleged ringleaders Sankar Prusty and Munna Mohanty.
- The Odisha Crime Branch will hand over case files and evidence after arresting 126 people, including private firm heads, with suspected links extending to Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
- Investigators allege a syndicate leaked questions and sold coaching on selected questions for about Rs 25 lakh per candidate, exploiting an outsourcing chain from OPRB to ITI Limited to Silicon Tech and Panchsoft.
- The sub-inspector exam remains postponed, affecting about 1.53 lakh applicants for 933 posts, and a Berhampur court has granted bail to the 114 intercepted aspirants.