Suspected mastermind of Odisha SI recruitment scam arrested near Nepal border

The suspected mastermind behind the sub-inspector recruitment scam in Odisha has been arrested from the India-Nepal border in Uttarakhand, police said on Sunday.

Shankar Prusty, who was absconding for over a month after the alleged irregularities surfaced on 30 September, was detained on Saturday with assistance from Uttarakhand Police and brought to Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning on transit remand, officials said.

"A team under the leadership of DSP Anila Anand of CID-CB was continuously following him. He was frequently changing his location. Finally, he was traced by the team and arrested near the Nepal border in Uttarakhand," the Crime Branch said in a statement.

Prusty owns Panchsoft Technologies, which had been sub-contracted part of the work to conduct the written examination for 933 sub-inspector posts in the police and other uniformed services.

With his arrest, the total number of people held in the alleged multi-crore scam has reached 124, including 114 job aspirants, police said. The arrested aspirants were granted bail two days ago.

Prusty was flown to Bhubaneswar from Delhi and taken directly to the Crime Branch headquarters in Cuttack for questioning, officials added.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Prusty denied wrongdoing. "I have no link to the scam, to Muna Mohanty, or any of the accused persons. I have already approached both the Orissa High Court and the Supreme Court seeking justice. I am sure I will get bail," he said.

The recruitment examination, scheduled for 5 and 6 October, was postponed after the alleged irregularities were detected. Police said the case came to light when 114 aspirants and three suspected brokers were detained near the Andhra Pradesh border on 29 September while travelling from Bhubaneswar to a "special coaching" centre in Vizianagaram.

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board had outsourced the CPSE (Combined Police Service Examination) 2024 to PSU ITI Ltd, which further sub-contracted the assignment to Silicon Techlab. Silicon Techlab then handed key responsibilities to Panchsoft Technologies, headed by Prusty, officials said.

Investigators allege the aspirants paid Rs 10 lakh each to the network and were expected to pay an additional Rs 25 lakh after securing jobs. Police said several brokers, including aides of the alleged mastermind, were arrested, and another 110 candidates were due to receive similar 'coaching' in Digha on 30 September, but the plan was cancelled following police action in Berhampur.

The state government has recommended a CBI investigation, citing inter-state links and involvement of organised groups.

With PTI inputs