Odisha Police SI recruitment Scam: Crime Branch clean chit to Silicon Tech Lab raises question

The Odisha Crime Branch had issued a clean chit to Silicon Tech Lab Private Limited (STL) in connection with the Police Sub-Inspector (SI) examination, even as a later CBI chargesheet alleged large-scale manipulation of the recruitment process. The development has come to light following access to official documents related to the certification granted to the private firm.

According to documents accessed by OTV, the Crime Branch had issued a character certificate to Silicon Tech Lab, following which the company was entrusted with conducting the Police SI examination. The certificate also stated that the firm’s head, Suresh Nayak, was a “decent and knowledgeable person”.

The same document indicates that Silicon Tech Lab had earlier been assigned the responsibility of conducting other competitive examinations, including the Jail Warder and High Court Assistant Section Officer (ASO) tests. Based on this certification, STL was considered eligible to handle the Police SI examination.

CBI Chargesheet Makes Contrasting Claims

However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its chargesheet, has presented a contrasting account. As per the chargesheet, preparations for manipulating the Police SI examination were already underway from March 2025. It further states that an amount of Rs 25 lakh had been collected from aspiring candidates as part of the alleged scam.

Despite these allegations, the State government’s Crime Branch issued the clean chit to Silicon Tech Lab on August 4, 2025. The chargesheet reportedly names Suresh Nayak as the alleged mastermind behind the examination manipulation, a claim that stands in sharp contrast to the clean character certificate issued earlier by the Crime Branch.

Also Read: Odisha Police SI Exam Scam: CBI Takes Amit Bharati On 3-Day Remand To Probe Inter-State Deals

Questions Over Verification Process

The emergence of these documents has raised questions over the verification process followed before awarding examination-related responsibilities to private agencies. At the time of reporting, there has been no official response addressing the apparent contradiction between the Crime Branch certification and the findings cited in the CBI chargesheet.