Maharashtra TET Paper Leak: Two More Arrested, All 18 Chargesheeted Accused Held

Bhiwandi Police have arrested two more absconding suspects in the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper leak case, taking the total number of accused named in the chargesheet and arrested so far to 18, an official said.

The latest arrests are those of Prakash Misal and Ashok Sav, who were traced to Beed and Bihar respectively. Police said the duo was located using technical intelligence, financial transaction records and location data monitored by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The investigation, conducted by Thane City Police and officers from the Bhiwandi Division, has uncovered an alleged multi-state examination fraud network operating across Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The case came to light a day before the TET examination scheduled for June 28, when Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Pavan Bansod received information that three men were allegedly attempting to sell question papers to a Bhiwandi resident.

Police subsequently deployed decoy personnel in the Kongaon area and detained the suspects. Four sets of question papers were seized during the operation. Verification by officials of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) later established that the seized papers matched the actual examination question paper.

According to the chargesheet filed by Thane Police, the leaked papers were allegedly taken out of a printing press in Agra by two employees. The papers were reportedly concealed inside shoe insoles, with the employees allegedly receiving Rs 8,000 for their role.

The chargesheet, filed before a local court in Bhiwandi on Friday, names 18 accused, including alleged mastermind Bijendra Gupta, who had earlier been implicated in a paper-leak case in Odisha.

The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, besides Maharashtra laws dealing with examination malpractice and unfair means.