Bhubaneswar: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday raided a private college in Bhubaneswar over its suspected links with the paper leak ahead of the sub-inspector (SI) recruitment exam.A CBI source said they received information that some functionaries of the institute were connected to a racket involved in leaking the question papers ahead of the recruitment test. The college was allegedly planned to be used as an exam centre to facilitate the malpractice, added the source.The SI exams, originally scheduled for Oct 5-6, 2025, were abruptly cancelled on Sept 30 following allegations of a paper leak. Amid widespread public and political outrage, the state govt handed the probe to the CBI on Oct 22, citing interstate connections. The agency formally took charge on Nov 12 and filed a preliminary charge sheet against 16 accused on Dec 26.Investigations have pointed to an organised crime syndicate that allegedly leaked the exam papers, with middlemen demanding payments of up to Rs 25 lakh from candidates.So far, about 131 arrests have been made — 117 by Berhampur police, eight by the state Crime Branch and six by the CBI.The Odisha police recruitment board had engaged a central public sector undertaking (PSU) to conduct the Combined Police Service Examination, 2024, which aimed to fill 933 posts, including 609 police SIs, 253 armed SIs, 47 fire station officers and 24 assistant jailers. The PSU subcontracted another company to prepare question papers, which in turn hired a third firm to supply manpower at exam centres, a move not disclosed to the Odisha Police Recruitment Board.
