The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches at 10 premises across Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal as part of its investigation into the alleged question paper leak in the 2025 Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination. According to sources, officials from the agency’s Bhubaneswar zonal office searched eight locations in Odisha and two in West Bengal to investigate the suspected recruitment scam and the alleged financial transactions linked to it. The investigation concerns allegations that candidates were offered access to the examination question paper in exchange for large sums of money. The case initially emerged from an FIR registered by Odisha Police in October 2025 and was subsequently transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The ED’s searches form part of the probe into the alleged paper leak, including the suspected role of individuals who allegedly facilitated access to the examination material for prospective candidates. The case drew attention on October 30, 2025, when police intercepted three buses carrying 114 candidates near Ichhapuram, close to the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border. The candidates were intercepted in connection with the alleged question paper leak. The incident became a significant development in the investigation into suspected irregularities surrounding the recruitment examination. Authorities have been examining the circumstances under which the candidates were travelling and the alleged arrangements through which they were promised access to the examination paper. According to sources, candidates were allegedly promised the question paper in exchange for payments ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh each. The alleged amounts indicate the scale of the suspected operation, although the claims remain subject to investigation.

The alleged arrangement reportedly involved intermediaries who approached candidates and offered to provide the examination paper before the test. Investigators are examining the suspected links among those offering the material, the candidates approached and the individuals believed to have facilitated the operation. An ED official said the question paper was allegedly leaked by individuals associated with entities engaged in conducting the examination. According to the official, intermediaries allegedly contacted candidates and offered to supply the paper for money. Their original certificates were reportedly taken as security as part of the alleged arrangement. Investigators are examining these claims to establish how the suspected network operated, who was involved and whether money or other assets were obtained through the alleged scheme. The recruitment examination was scheduled to take place on October 5 and 6, 2025. Allegations of a paper leak raised questions about the integrity of the selection process and the fairness of the examination for candidates who were preparing to compete for police sub-inspector positions.

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Recruitment examinations are intended to provide candidates with a standardised selection process, and allegations that some applicants were offered advance access to question papers can undermine confidence in that process. The investigation will need to establish the facts behind the alleged leak and determine the extent of any wrongdoing. The ED’s searches across the two states represent a further step in examining the case and the suspected financial dimensions of the alleged recruitment irregularities. The agency’s Bhubaneswar zonal office carried out the operation at eight premises in Odisha and two in West Bengal, according to sources. However, details about the identities of the people whose premises were searched, the materials seized and any arrests resulting from Friday’s operation were not immediately available in the information provided.

The investigation involves multiple agencies, with Odisha Police registering the original FIR and the CBI subsequently taking over the case. The ED is examining the matter from the perspective of the alleged financial dealings associated with the suspected paper leak. The agencies’ investigations will be important in establishing whether the alleged payments took place, how candidates were contacted and whether people connected with examination-conducting entities played a role. The allegations have not, by themselves, established the guilt of any individual. The identities and roles of those involved, the authenticity of the alleged arrangements and the movement of money will need to be established through evidence and the legal process. Friday’s searches mark the latest development in the investigation into the 2025 Odisha SI recruitment examination, as authorities continue to examine the alleged question paper leak and the suspected network behind it.

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