Odisha SI exam scam: Silicon Techlab owner Suresh Nayak arrested

Bhubaneswar: In a significant development in the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment exam scam, the Crime Branch has arrested Suresh Nayak, owner of Bhubaneswar-based Silicon Techlab. Nayak was arrested after a marathon interrogation by the agency last night.

Nayak will be produced before the court today along with another accused, Shankar Prusty, the alleged mastermind behind the scam.

The crucial SI recruitment test was awarded to ITI Limited, a central public sector undertaking based in Kolkata. ITI Limited had sub-contracted the work to Silicon Techlab, which in turn handed over key responsibilities to another Bhubaneswar-based firm, Panchsoft Technologies.

Also read: Those who conspired to cancel Odisha SI exam will be exposed, says Shankar Prusty.

Earlier, the Crime Branch had apprehended Shankar Prusty, owner of Panchsoft Technologies, near the Nepal border in Uttarakhand. Prusty had reportedly planned to flee to Dubai and had been evading arrest for several weeks. He was brought to Bhubaneswar on a transit remand and taken directly to the Crime Branch headquarters for questioning.

Prusty, a native of Ganjam district, had gone into hiding soon after the scam surfaced. His associate, Muna Mohanty, was arrested from Dasapalla in Nayagarh district on October 17. Both are accused of leaking question papers and collecting large sums, reportedly between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, from each of 114 aspirants.

The Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) had postponed the written examinations scheduled for October 5 and 6 after the arrests of 114 candidates allegedly involved in the scam.

Also read: Odisha SI recruitment exam scam: Here's how the racket operated.

Investigations revealed that Muna Mohanty, despite lacking a steady income source, led a lavish lifestyle in Bhubaneswar’s Jagamara area. He reportedly operated a network with associates identified as Srikanta Maharana alias Rinku, Arabinda Das, Biswaranjan Behera, T. Abhimanyu Dora, and Priyadarsini Samal, all working under the direction of Prusty.

Police sources said the group systematically manipulated the recruitment process, compromising the fairness of examinations and eroding public trust in the system.

Amid rising public pressure and political uproar, the Odisha government has recommended a CBI probe into the multi-crore scam, which is suspected to have interstate connections.