Odisha Police SI recruitment scam: Tutor, murder accused and mastermind; who is Shankar Prusty?

The arrest of Shankar Prusty, alleged mastermind of the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam, has exposed a complex web of deceit that began in a quiet village in Odisha and evolved into one of the state’s most elaborate examination frauds.

Once a small-town coaching tutor, Prusty’s journey from Brahmanchhai village in Sheragada block of Ganjam district to the centre of a multi-crore scam reveals years of alleged manipulation, political ambition, and evasion from law enforcement.

Shankar Prusty’s Early Life And Local Roots

According to sources, Shankar Prusty was born into a modest family in Brahmanchhai, He completed his matriculation at the local village school before studying at SMIT College, Berhampur.

After graduation, he started a coaching institute, gaining access to hundreds of students and teachers. Sources report that this exposure gave him entry into the world of aspirants desperate for government jobs, a space he later allegedly exploited for profit.

Locals in his village stated that Prusty began collecting large sums from unemployed youth by promising them government jobs. Over time, he built a network that extended from local coaching centres to state-level recruitment processes. His activities went unchecked for years, aided by his reportedly growing influence in local politics.

Criminal Cases And Controversies

In a stark disclosure, it was found that Prusty’s name first entered police records in 2017, when he was accused of involvement in the murder of a sarpanch candidate during the panchayat elections. He reportedly went into hiding soon after and later obtained anticipatory bail from the Orissa High Court in 2022.

However, his criminal record did not end there. In 2023, his name surfaced again in a fake certificate case in Berhampur, in which he was accused of helping candidates procure forged documents for recruitment purposes. Despite repeated allegations, Prusty managed to avoid arrest, often securing bail and resuming his activities.

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Mother’s Claim Of False Implication

Family members in Brahmanchai maintain that Shankar has been away from the village for the past two to three years. His mother claimed that her son had been “framed in false cases” and that he rarely returned home due to police scrutiny.

“He never came back after 2021. We hear his name only through the media. He has been falsely implicated,” she told reporters.

From Local Operator To Statewide Kingpin

By the time the Odisha Police SI recruitment scam broke out on September 27 of this year, Shankar Prusty was no longer a small-time operator. As the owner of Panchsoft Technologies, he allegedly leveraged his firm’s digital infrastructure to orchestrate the leak of confidential question papers for the SI examination conducted by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB).

Investigations revealed that Panchsoft’s systems had access to sensitive data and were used to distribute leaked exam papers through encrypted networks. Agents working under Prusty’s direction allegedly sold these papers to aspirants across Odisha, charging between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per candidate.

Failed Bail Attempts And Escape Plan

After the scam came to light, Prusty, his wife Deeptimayee Sahu, and alleged middleman Muna Mohanty filed anticipatory bail petitions before the Orissa High Court, all of which were rejected. 

Despite being named in multiple FIRs, Prusty remained absconding for months. Crime Branch sources confirmed that he had been moving across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, using multiple SIM cards and fake digital identities to conceal his location.

Intelligence reports suggest that he was preparing to flee to Dubai when he was intercepted by a special Crime Branch team near the Indo-Nepal border in Uttarakhand on Saturday night.

As of the latest developments, Prusty was flown from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar Biju Patnaik International Airport on Sunday under heavy security and taken directly to the Crime Branch headquarters in Cuttack for questioning. During a brief media interaction, he denied all allegations.

Prusty will now be subject to the Crime Branch’s interrogation, and additional actions are expected to follow today.