Bhiwandi: The Bhiwandi Police on Thursday filed a 3,472-page chargesheet in a fast-track court in connection with the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 paper leak case, completing the investigation within 82 days of the case coming to light.
The chargesheet names all 16 arrested accused and includes what the police describe as substantial documentary and digital evidence against them. Two other accused remain absconding police said.
The investigation has so far led police to accused persons from Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, besides one arrest from Maharashtra in Solapur. Police are continuing efforts to trace the two absconding accused and have indicated that a supplementary chargesheet will be filed after their arrest and receipt of some pending reports.
DCP Pawan Bansod told FPJ that Bihar resident Bijender Gupta has been identified by the police as the alleged mastermind of the paper-leak operation.
According to the police investigation Gupta allegedly planned the operation and with the assistance of his associates arranged for the TET question paper to be taken out of Mahim Patram Printing Press in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Police claim that employees of the printing press who have since been arrested helped remove the question paper from the facility, after which attempts were allegedly made to sell it.
CCTV, call records among key evidence
ACP and investigating officer Vijay Marathe told FPJ that the chargesheet contains evidence against all 16 arrested accused, including CCTV footage, call-detail records and other digital evidence.
According to Marathe the digital evidence has helped investigators establish communication between the accused and piece together various activities allegedly connected with the network.
Two accused are still absconding. One is from Beed in Maharashtra and is allegedly suspected of being involved in the further sale of the leaked TET paper. The other is reportedly from Delhi. Police teams are continuing efforts to locate and arrest both accused.
The chargesheet includes statements of 55 witnesses including police personnel. Investigators said the probe remains open and a supplementary chargesheet will be filed after the absconding accused are arrested and some pending reports are received.
Paper leak exposed in Bhiwandi on June 27
The Maharashtra TET 2026 examination was scheduled for June 28. A day before the examination, on June 27, Bhiwandi Police received information about the alleged sale of the question paper in the Kongaon area.
The police laid a trap and arrested three accused, recovering four sets of TET question papers from them. After verification by officials of the Education Department, the recovered papers were found to correspond to the actual question paper for the scheduled examination. The Maharashtra State Council of Examination subsequently postponed the June 28 TET examination.
Given the seriousness of the case, an SIT was constituted to investigate the matter. As the probe progressed, Bhiwandi Police and the SIT carried out searches and investigations in Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
In July, the SIT arrested alleged mastermind Bijender Gupta and his associate Inderjit Singh in Bihar. The subsequent investigation led to further arrests, taking the total number of accused arrested to 16.
Original paper and Xerox sets
According to investigating officer ACP Vijay Marathe, the question-paper sets recovered from the accused during the June 27 operation were Xerox copies of the actual paper.
Police later recovered the original TET question paper from alleged mastermind Bijender Gupta, Marathe said. According to investigators, the recovery of the original paper, along with the digital evidence gathered during the probe, forms part of the basis for identifying Gupta as the alleged principal conspirator.
Advocate Shailesh Gaikwad who represents some of the accused, confirmed that the Bhiwandi Police filed the chargesheet on Thursday. He said the case would be heard before Judge A.A. Kore's fast-track court in Bhiwandi.
All 16 arrested accused are currently in judicial custody according to the defence.
Police said the investigation would continue, particularly to trace the two absconding accused and examine the reports that are still awaited. Any additional evidence or findings emerging from the continuing investigation will be incorporated into a supplementary chargesheet.
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