Cuttack: In a major breakthrough in the Special OTET 2025 question paper leak case, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested six individuals, who will be produced before the Court of JMFC-II, Cuttack, informed Crime Branch DG Binaytosh Mishra.

According to the Crime Branch, the arrests were made in the first phase of the investigation based on digital evidence and a money trail. Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other individuals involved in the case.

The arrested persons have been identified as Jitan Moharana, Bijay Kumar Mishra, Sanatana Bisoi, Ramjee Prasad Gupta, Ajay Kumar Sahu, and Jayanta Kumar Rout.

During interrogation, it was revealed Jitan Moharana, a Data Entry Operator at the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) office in Cuttack, illegally accessed the laptop of the BSE Vice President and obtained the Special OTET question papers before the scheduled examination. He then shared the papers with Bijaya Mishra, the working president of the State Ex-cadre Teachers’ Association, and Sanatana Bhoi, president of the Koraput District Ex-cadre Teachers’ Association.

These individuals allegedly targeted teachers who had failed in the previous Special OTET exams, luring them with the leaked papers. They also sold the papers to brokers Ramjee Prasad Gupta, Ajay Kumar Sahu, and Jayanta Kumar Rout.

The DG further informed analysis of financial records revealed the accused had received payments from teachers through both digital transactions and cash. In particular, preliminary investigation showed Jitan Moharana received ₹2.5 lakh via UPI transactions during the period in question.

The Crime Branch has seized electronic devices, including mobile phones, and the leaked question papers from the accused.

The investigation began following a complaint by Bulbul Behera, the in-charge Establishment Officer of the BSE. The Special OTET-2025 exam, scheduled for July 20, was postponed after the Vice President of BSE came across handwritten versions of the actual question papers circulating on Facebook and other social media platforms on July 19.

The leaked content was found to be an exact replica of the official question sets.