Maharashtra TET Paper Leak: Bhiwandi Court Sends 14 Accused To Police Custody Till August 3

Bhiwandi: The investigation into the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case gathered further momentum on Thursday after the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) S.S. Ghodke remanded 14 accused to police custody till August 3.

Of the 14 accused, 12 had earlier been lodged in judicial custody, while two were already in police custody. With the latest order, investigators now have access to all 15 arrested accused, making it possible to conduct a face-to-face interrogation of every suspect involved in the case.

Police believe the joint questioning will help establish the sequence of events, expose contradictions in the statements of the accused, and uncover the operational structure of the alleged examination paper leak syndicate.

Arrests of Alleged Kingpin and Absconding Accused Changed the Course of Probe

The investigation gained significant momentum after the alleged kingpin, Bijender Gupta, and his associate Indrajeet Singh alias Piku were arrested on July 25.

The probe received another boost when absconding accused Sonu Kumar Diwakar surrendered before the Bhiwandi court on July 28, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 15.

With every accused finally in custody, the investigating team moved the court seeking police custody of those who had earlier been sent to judicial custody so that all accused could be interrogated together.

Police Stress Need for Joint Interrogation

During the hearing, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vijay Marathe argued that simultaneous interrogation of all accused was essential for a fair and comprehensive investigation.

He submitted before the court that investigators needed to match digital evidence, mobile phone records, electronic data, banking transactions and other documentary evidence with the statements of the accused.

The prosecution further argued that only a coordinated interrogation would enable police to establish the complete conspiracy, identify communication links between the accused and determine the precise role played by each individual in the alleged paper leak.

Accepting these submissions, the JMFC court remanded the 12 accused who had been in judicial custody, along with two others already in police custody, to police custody till August 3.

All 15 Accused to Face Cross-Examination Together

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, ACP Vijay Marathe said accused Sonu Kumar Diwakar was already in police custody until August 2. Following Thursday's court order, the remaining 14 accused have also been placed in police custody, enabling investigators to interrogate all 15 accused together.

He said investigators would conduct detailed cross-examinations while simultaneously analysing seized mobile phones, electronic records, digital evidence, financial transactions and other technical material collected during the investigation.

Police are also trying to determine the exact point from where the confidential TET question paper was allegedly leaked, identify every individual involved at different stages of the operation and ascertain whether more people were part of the network.

Digital and Financial Evidence Under Scanner

According to investigators, the next phase of the probe will focus heavily on digital forensics and financial analysis.

Police are expected to compare the statements of all accused with electronic evidence, call records, financial transactions and other technical documents to identify inconsistencies and reconstruct the alleged flow of information and money within the syndicate.

Investigators believe the coordinated interrogation may reveal previously unknown links between the accused and help identify additional suspects connected with the alleged examination fraud.

Defence Says Accused Will Cooperate

During the proceedings advocates Narayan Ayyar, Jitendra Patil and Shailesh Gaikwad appeared for the accused.

The defence informed the court that the accused were willing to cooperate with the investigation and would assist the authorities in bringing the facts of the case before the court.

Crucial Phase of Investigation Begins

The Maharashtra TET paper leak case has drawn nationwide attention because of the alleged scale of the conspiracy and the involvement of accused from multiple states.

Investigators believe the next few days will be decisive, as the simultaneous interrogation of all 15 accused could help establish the hierarchy of the alleged syndicate, trace the movement of confidential examination papers and identify the role of every individual connected with the operation.

With police custody now secured till August 3, investigators are expected to intensify questioning and technical analysis. The findings from this phase of the probe are likely to determine the future course of the investigation and could potentially lead to fresh disclosures and additional arrests.

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