Maharashtra TET Leak Explained: The Shoe Trick That Breached A Highly Secure Exam

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 question paper was allegedly smuggled out of a confidential printing press in Agra by hiding folded copies inside a worker's shoe, according to an investigation by The Indian Express.

The report said the employees involved were allegedly paid just ₹8,000 each to leak papers for an examination meant for over six lakh teacher aspirants.

More than six lakh candidates were scheduled to appear for the June 28 exam at 1,028 centres across Maharashtra. According to The Indian Express, the papers were printed at Agra-based Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd, whose identity was known only to the head of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) as part of a long-standing security protocol. The state has traditionally printed confidential question papers outside Maharashtra to maintain secrecy.

How The Papers Were Smuggled Out

According to The Indian Express, between June 15 and June 17, a printing press employee allegedly hid folded question papers beneath the insole of his shoe and walked past security guards, who frisked workers but did not check their footwear.

Police said four sets of question papers two each for Paper 1 and Paper 2 were allegedly smuggled out, defeating the safeguard of randomly selecting one set on exam day. Investigators claimed the workers were also allegedly promised plots of land in addition to the cash payment.

An officer who was part of the multi-state probe told The Indian Express, "Usually even in simple crimes there is a big monetary exchange and a certain amount is paid in advance. We were shocked to find out that the question papers which would impact six lakh teachers across the state were handed over for as little as Rs 8,000."

Mastermind Allegedly Built Network Inside Printing Presses

The report identified absconding accused Bijendra Gupta, a former coaching teacher from Bhopal, as the alleged mastermind. Rather than targeting a specific examination, Gupta allegedly cultivated contacts inside confidential printing presses and leaked whichever papers arrived there before selling them through coaching networks.

According to The Indian Express, Maharashtra's system relied on keeping the identity of the printing press confidential, with only the MSCE chief aware of it. A senior School Education Department official told the newspaper, "Only the head of the institution, in this case the Council, deals with matters related to the printing press. No one else on the Council or even the department has this information."

Police told The Indian Express that Gupta's strategy effectively rendered this secrecy meaningless. A senior IPS officer said, "We suspect he did not know which papers would come for printing there. However, when men he had cultivated in these presses handed him a particular question paper, Bijendra... tapped into the coaching classes network of that state to get to clients."

Describing what investigators called an "inverted model", the officer added, "He had inverted the system whereby he did not go looking for a particular question paper to leak but developed people in the printing press and leaked whatever came there for printing."

According to The Indian Express, investigators believe this model may have exposed not only the Maharashtra TET but also other government recruitment and scholarship examinations printed at such presses. The newspaper also reported that Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd has printed MSCE examination papers for more than two decades, and investigators are examining whether Gupta knew the TET papers would be printed there.

How The Leak Was Exposed

The conspiracy came to light after Thane City Police received a tip-off from a person in Bhiwandi about people trying to sell the TET paper. Officers posed as buyers, conducted a raid a day before the examination and recovered genuine question papers, leading investigators from Bihar and Haryana to the Agra printing press.

Police later arrested current employees Nareshkumar Mahore alias Nikki and Babulal Kushwahay, along with former employee Sanjay Kumar Sharma. Investigators also found that the printing press's CCTV cameras were allegedly not functioning during the printing period, though the company denied any security lapses.

Papers Sold Through Coaching Network

According to The Indian Express, investigators believe the leaked papers were sold through coaching networks for around ₹80,000 each, with the network allegedly planning to distribute at least 5,000 physical copies. Unlike the NEET-UG leak, the papers were allegedly circulated only in physical form and not on social media.

Gupta has previously been linked to paper leak cases in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra. His wife, Suman Kumari, has also been arrested for allegedly helping him evade arrest.

Maharashtra Govt Plans Reforms

Following the leak, the Maharashtra government has formed a committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal to recommend reforms. According to The Indian Express, the panel is considering computer-based examinations and digital transmission of question papers to strengthen exam security and prevent future leaks as the state reviews the security protocol that investigators believe was exploited in the TET leak.