Authorities are conducting a probe into a suspected exam paper leak during a police recruitment test, with suspicions pointing towards the printing press responsible for producing the question papers.
"As of now, no irregularities have been detected in any district. However, concerns have been raised regarding the possibility of the conspiracy originating from the printing press where the question papers were printed," stated a senior police official.
Allegations have surfaced suggesting that certain employees at the printing press may have illicitly obtained the questions during the paper-setting process and subsequently leaked them to select coaching institutions in exchange for significant sums of money.
The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board has announced that all eligible candidates who applied for the constable recruitment will be given the opportunity to participate in a re-examination within the next six months. Further details, including the examination date, will be communicated through the recruitment board's official website.
It is noteworthy that the recruitment board had issued 48,17,442 admit cards for the examination, with 43,13,611 candidates (89.54 per cent) ultimately appearing for the test.
The Bihar angle
In a significant development, one examinee, Satyam Aman Kumar, a resident of Bihar, was found in possession of a paper containing answers to 147 out of 150 questions.
On February 18 at 12:56 PM, Kumar received handwritten answer keys via WhatsApp from a number belonging to Neeraj Yadav. Following Kumar's filing of a case and the initiation of a thorough investigation, police discovered that 147 out of the 150 answers in Kumar's possession matched those found on the answer sheet obtained via WhatsApp.
The timing of the answers, received almost an hour before the exam, strongly indicates that the source providing the answer key had access to the question paper beforehand. Consequently, Kumar was able to complete and submit his paper an hour before the examination commenced.
How the racket was busted
During the second shift of the examination held on February 18 at Krishna Nagar's Alinagar Sunehra City Modern Academy School, invigilators Vandan Kanaujiya and Vishwanath Singh caught examinee Satyam Aman Kumar red-handed while copying answers from a sheet onto the OMR sheet. Police team apprehended Satyam Aman Kumar. During questioning, he revealed that Neeraj Yadav had sent the answer key via WhatsApp. Verification of this claim was done through WhatsApp chat.
Police are now searching for the teacher involved. Neeraj Yadav, the accused, was previously employed in the Merchant Navy but has since left his job. According to sources, he has been involved in providing assistance during exams for some time, earning a significant amount of money in return.
The extent of his network and who provided him with the answer key remain unclear. Police claim that it is also unknown how much money Satyam Aman Kumar was supposed to pay Neeraj for providing the answer key.Prior to the raid, the teacher, a resident of Mathura, was aware that Satyam Aman had been caught. Consequently, he fled just before the raid.
