The Mumbai Crime Branch has detained four more accused, including two candidates, in connection with the purported question paper leak of the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening exam, officials told PTI.
As many as 11 persons have been arrested in this case so far.
According to investigative officials, two candidates, identified as Sajid Sande and Vijay Kingar, and middlemen Sandip Khalate and Bhairavnath Kadam, both Navi Mumbai residents, were taken into custody on Thursday (September 24).
Sande, hailing from Sangli, and Kingar, from Buldhana city, Maharashtra, have been charged with illegally procuring a question paper.
Previously, Rutuja Patil, who took the MPSC (Maharashtra Public Service Commission) Drug Inspector screening examination on March 22 and even bagged seventh rank in the provisional merit list, was arrested from Nandurbar, officials said.
Candidate Wrote ’10 Wrong Answers’ to Avoid Suspicion
Police discovered that Patil allegedly received the leaked paper but was advised to intentionally write incorrect answers to 10 questions to avoid suspicion.
Following her arrest, the Crime Branch arrested six persons, including three MPSC officials. The accused purportedly secured the questions before the examination, collated them into distinct sets and handed them out to unauthorised persons.
After the recent arrests, the count has increased to 11.
The examination was held for recruitment to Drug Inspector (Group-B) posts under the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
MPSC scrapped the recruitment process after a preliminary investigation suggested malpractice and announced a retest.
According to the Commission, the cancellation was necessary to ensure that aspirants get a “fair and equal” chance in the recruitment, and to uphold their confidence in the recruitment process by safeguarding the integrity, transparency and impartiality of its examinations.
The question papers for the examination were drafted by experts under strict confidentiality protocols, police said.
A case has been lodged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at Competitive Examinations Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act for offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and corruption by public servants.
(With inputs from PTI)