Mastermind of Odisha SI recruitment scam caught near Nepal border

The alleged mastermind of Odisha’s sub-inspector recruitment scam, Shankar Prusty, was arrested from the India-Nepal border in Uttarakhand after evading police for over a month. Prusty, owner of Panchsoft Technologies, is accused of orchestrating large-scale exam manipulation in the state’s police recruitment drive.

According to the Crime Branch, a special team led by DSP Anila Anand tracked Prusty as he kept shifting locations before finally being caught near the border. He was brought to Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning and taken to Crime Branch headquarters in Cuttack for interrogation.

The scam came to light on September 30, when police intercepted 114 aspirants and three brokers near the Andhra Pradesh border. Investigations later revealed that the candidates were being taken to a “special coaching” centre in Vizianagaram, where they were allegedly promised leaked question papers and guaranteed selection in exchange for hefty bribes. Each candidate reportedly paid ₹10 lakh in advance and was to pay ₹25 lakh more after securing the job.

Police suspect the racket had access to confidential examination data, enabling it to manipulate the digital question bank and supply answers in advance. This operation was allegedly executed through the multi-layered outsourcing network used for conducting the exam.

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) had outsourced the exam to PSU ITI Ltd, which in turn subcontracted it to Silicon Techlab, a private Bhubaneswar-based firm. Silicon Techlab further assigned key responsibilities to Prusty’s Panchsoft Technologies, which managed parts of the software and database operations.

This outsourcing chain has now exposed a critical loophole in the system, allowing sensitive recruitment work to be handled by private entities with limited supervision. Experts point out that such delegation of control makes the process vulnerable to data theft, leaks, and manipulation.

Investigators are also examining whether any government officials or board members were aware of or complicit in the irregularities. The state government’s decision to hand over police recruitment to private contractors is now under intense scrutiny.

With Prusty’s arrest, the total number of arrests in the case has reached 124, including 114 job aspirants. Most of them were granted bail recently. The recruitment exam, originally scheduled for October 5-6, was postponed following the exposure of the scam.

At the airport, Prusty told reporters, “I have no link to the scam or to any of the accused. I’ve already approached both the High Court and the Supreme Court seeking justice.”

Given the inter-state operations and organised nature of the racket, the Odisha government has recommended a CBI probe, as the case potentially involves multiple networks across states.