Records revealing over 100 calls outside of office hours between a junior employee and a senior official at the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) have aided the Odisha Police’s Crime Branch in solving the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) question paper leak, officials reported.
On Sunday, the Crime Branch arrested Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, the vice president of the BSE, which oversees the OTET, due to his suspected involvement in the scandal. Previously, seven individuals, including Jitan Moharana, a data entry operator at the BSE, along with several teachers, had already been taken into custody.
The OTET, initially scheduled for July 20, was canceled on the evening of July 19 after a handwritten version of the question paper circulated widely on social media, impacting over 75,000 candidates. Passing this test is a prerequisite for the appointment and promotion of teachers in both government and private elementary schools in Odisha.
Crime Branch Director General Vinaytosh Mishra stated that while Moharana had no formal dealings with Mohanty, their communication raised suspicions. “There were over 100 calls between them in the last three months despite neither having a direct official relationship nor any prior official interaction. This was the primary reason for focusing our investigation on the board’s vice president,” he explained.
Sources within the Crime Branch indicated that Mohanty was tasked with preparing the question papers. Before being printed, a password-protected copy was sent to him by a printing press based in Bhopal. He allegedly provided access to Moharana, who then shared the information with two teachers. These individuals are suspected of selling the leaked paper to others.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/odisha-paper-leak-top-exam-agency-official-who-made-100-calls-after-office-hours-held-10167995/
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Publish Date: 2025-08-04 04:02:00
