Cuttack, Aug 5: The Odisha Crime Branch has intensified its investigation into the OTET-2025 question paper leak scandal, which led to the abrupt postponement of the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test scheduled for July 20.

The leak surfaced on July 19, when a handwritten version of the question paper, complete with answers, went viral on social media.

Eight individuals have been arrested so far, including Board of Secondary Education (BSE) Vice-President Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, data entry operator Jitan Moharana, and teacher leader Bijaya Mishra. Investigators revealed that Moharana accessed the question paper from Mohanty’s laptop and circulated it via pen drive, allegedly receiving ₹2.4 lakh in return.

The Crime Branch has now launched a financial probe, issuing letters to three banks to examine the accounts of Mohanty, Moharana, and Mishra. Officials are also scrutinizing digital payment trails and call records, which show over 100 calls exchanged between Mohanty and Moharana outside office hours.

Questions have emerged over procedural lapses within the BSE. Traditionally, exam responsibilities lie with the controller and operations editor, but in this case, the vice-president was given charge under unclear circumstances. Despite knowing about the leak, Mohanty failed to file an FIR, raising concerns about internal accountability.

The Crime Branch is preparing to seek remand for all eight accused to uncover deeper links and possible involvement of other officials.

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