In a significant breakthrough, Uttar Pradesh authorities have busted a paper leak racket involved in the UP Police Recruitment and RO-ARO examination with the arrest of three kingpins.
Addressing the media in a press conference on Friday, the state's Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar announced the arrest of 396 individuals implicated in the paper leak scandal.
The DGP disclosed that the orchestrated leak involved the collusion of Shivam Giri, Rohit Pandey, and Abhishek Gupta, employees of the agency responsible for transporting examination papers for police recruitment. While these three key suspects are in custody, efforts to identify and apprehend the mastermind behind the operation are actively underway.
Among the arrests made, three suspects were apprehended in Ghaziabad, while authorities are currently interrogating a fourth individual, a doctor from Patna, believed to be connected to the illicit scheme. Investigations unveiled that the gang established direct communication with the transport company tasked with printing and distributing the examination papers, thereby facilitating the leak.
Further revelations emerged when the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) disclosed that around 1,000 candidates slated to appear in the UP Police constable recruitment examination on February 18 were gathered at a resort in Gurgaon’s Manesar by members of the racket. They aimed to provide leaked question papers two days before the exam, as reported by the Indian Express.
In a significant breakthrough, Mahendra Sharma, a suspect in the case, was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon in Haryana’s Jind district with the leaked question paper and an answer key, as detailed in an STF communique. Additionally, on March 5, six suspects—Deepu, Bittu, Praveen, Rohit, Naveen, and Sahil—were arrested in connection with the paper leak, all hailing from Meerut.
Meanwhile, in response to the examination's cancellation, the Uttar Pradesh government dismissed Renuka Mishra, chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment & Promotion Board (UPPRPB), which administered the examination.
The exposure of this paper leak racket underscores the imperative for heightened vigilance and stringent measures to safeguard the integrity of recruitment processes, ensuring a fair and transparent selection of candidates for vital positions within the state's law enforcement and administrative apparatus.
