The State Crime Branch on Friday arrested another schoolteacher, Prasant Kumar Khamari (56), in connection with the recent leak of the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) question papers, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to seven.
Khamari, from Kalahandi district, played a key role in translating the leaked question papers from English to Odia. He reportedly received the questions from Jitan Moharana, a former employee of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), who had been arrested earlier.
According to DIG (crime branch) B Gangadhar, Khamari transcribed the translated questions and answers onto plain paper and distributed them to potential buyers among in-service teachers. Financial investigations revealed that Khamari transferred approximately Rs 99,000 via UPI to Bijay Kumar Mishra, a teacher arrested on Wednesday.
Further inquiry revealed that Mishra had instigated Moharana to steal the question papers from BSE Vice-President Nihar Ranjan Mohanty’s laptop.
The OTET exam, originally scheduled for July 20, was postponed following the circulation of the leaked questions and possible answers on social media the previous day.
The Crime Branch continues to investigate the scandal as more arrests are expected.
