Odisha SI Recruitment Scam: ED Searches 10 Sites Across Odisha and West Bengal

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched searches at 10 locations in Odisha and West Bengal in connection with the alleged leak of question papers for the 2025 Odisha Police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination.

Sources said ED teams from the agency’s Bhubaneswar zonal office searched eight premises in Odisha and two in neighbouring West Bengal on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation.

The investigation stems from an FIR filed by Odisha Police in October 2025. The case was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation.

The alleged recruitment irregularities came under scrutiny after police intercepted three buses carrying 114 candidates near Ichhapuram, close to the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, on October 30, 2025.

Investigators suspect that candidates were offered access to the examination paper in exchange for payments ranging from ₹15 lakh to ₹30 lakh per person.

An ED official said the question paper was allegedly leaked by people connected with organisations involved in conducting the examination. Intermediaries reportedly contacted prospective candidates and demanded money in return for providing the paper. The candidates’ original certificates were allegedly collected as collateral to secure the payments.

The Odisha SI recruitment examination had been scheduled for October 5 and 6, 2025. The latest searches are part of efforts to investigate the alleged paper leak and the financial dealings associated with the suspected recruitment racket.