In the HSC paper leak case, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested the principal of a junior college in Ahmednagar, two teachers, a member of the administration and a driver. The probe has revealed that the institute was getting exam papers in advance and was selling them for just Rs10,000 each.
Additional Commissioner of Police Dhyaneshwar Chavan said that a boy appearing for Class 12 exam at Anthony D’Silva High School in Dadar West was caught copying. On checking his mobile phone, it was found that he had received the math paper 30 minutes before the commencement of the exam. An FIR was registered at the Shivaji Park police station and the probe was transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
The arrested persons are Principal of Matoshree Bhagubhai Agriculture and Science Junior College, Bhausaheb Amurte; teachers Kiran Dighe and Sachin Mahnor; driver Vaibhav Tarte, and the college owner’s daughter Archana Bhambre.
As per officials, the arrested accused collected the paper from the board office on March 3 and teacher Kiran Dighe opened the paper bunch at 9.30 am on the day of the exam and clicked a photo of the math paper and sent it to her 17-year-old sister, who forwarded it to students from whom she had taken Rs10,000 each. One of the students who bought it sent it to the relative of another student (in Dadar) whose brother (an engineering student) solved it and sent it back.
The police said that someone posted the paper on a WhatsApp group. The issue was later raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and the investigation was handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch. It is being monitored by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam.
