Role of ‘organised criminal syndicate’ in Odisha sub-inspector recruitment test; Opposition demands CBI probe

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB), which was conducting the test, has already postponed the examination in view of the recent development.

Written by Sujit Bisoyi

Bhubaneswar | October 5, 2025 07:39 AM IST

3 min read

A total of 117 persons, including 114 candidates and three middlemen, were attested by the Berhampur police in Odisha on Wednesday. (file photo)

Odisha Police’s crime branch, which has taken over probe into alleged irregularities in the state’s police sub-inspector recruitment exam, has prima facie found the role of an “organised criminal syndicate” to subvert the entire examination process.

The motive of the crime syndicate was to sabotage the examination process by adopting unfair means for monetary gain, Crime Branch sources said.

The Berhampur Police Wednesday arrested 117 persons — 114 aspirants and three middlemen — after it intercepted three buses on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. During interrogation, it was allegedly revealed that all of them were part of a syndicate that tried to sabotage the police SI examination scheduled on October 5 and 6.

Their plan was to allegedly get the confidential question paper and then come back to Bhubaneswar and appear for the exam. The candidates had agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh each in instalments – Rs 10 lakh initially and the rest once their jobs are confirmed.

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB), which was conducting the test, has already postponed the examination in view of the recent development. More than 1.53 lakh candidates have applied for 933 police SI posts under various categories.

On Friday, the Crime Branch arrested Biswaranjan Behera, 29, a native of Cuttack being part of the crime syndicate and seized incriminating documents.

Probe officials said Behera actively took part in contacting the aspiring candidates, collected original certificates and blank cheques from them in lieu of providing questions papers for the examination and handed over the same to his next leader in the hierarchy.

Story continues below this ad

“The actions on part of Behera clearly indicate a conspiracy among the criminals and executed the works as directed by the leaders [of the crime syndicate]. Multiple teams have been deployed by the Crime Branch to apprehend the main conspirator,” one source said.

According to sources, the role of several senior officials of OPRB and the private agency that was assigned to conduct the examination is being investigated.

As pressure mounted on the state government, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja Saturday held a high-level meeting with OPRB officials to discuss the matter. The Opposition has also stepped up its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government, with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress both seeking a CBI probe.

From the homepage