Berhampur: The Crime Branch on Monday sent Shankar Prusty, the prime accused in the Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment exam paper leak case, and Suresh Nayak, the owner of Silicon Tech Private Limited, to jail after they were produced before the JMFC Rural Court in Berhampur. Both were denied bail and remanded to judicial custody.
Before being produced in court, the Crime Branch had conducted face-to-face interrogations of the two accused to gather more details about the racket.
According to sources, Shankar Prusty—believed to be the mastermind behind the exam manipulation—was apprehended from the Uttarakhand–Nepal border on Saturday and later brought to Odisha. A Fortuner car belonging to him was also seized from Ghaziabad. Following his arrest, reports of deals worth several crores of rupees have emerged, indicating the scale of the alleged recruitment fraud.
In a related development, the Crime Branch also arrested Suresh Nayak, owner of Silicon Tech Pvt. Ltd., on Sunday. Investigators believe his firm’s involvement played a key role in the manipulation of the exam process.
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has taken three of Prusty’s associates—Muna Mohanty, Lokenath Sahu, and Soumya Priyadarshini—on remand for further questioning. The accused have reportedly named more individuals connected to the scandal during their joint interrogation with Prusty.
Authorities said details of the high-value transactions and the network of people involved in the racket will likely emerge as the investigation progresses. The CBI is also expected to take over the probe following the state government’s earlier decision, raising expectations that the entire conspiracy and its beneficiaries will be brought to light.
