Daijiworld Media Network - Bhiwandi
Bhiwandi, Jul 25: The alleged mastermind behind the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET)-2026 paper leak case, Bijendra Kumar Gupta, has been arrested by the Bhiwandi Police from Bihar, officials said.
According to police, Gupta was brought to Pune Airport after his arrest and will be taken to Bhiwandi for further legal proceedings.
Gupta had been absconding while the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continued its probe into the paper leak.
Earlier this month, the SIT arrested three employees of an Agra-based printing press for allegedly leaking the examination paper during the printing process, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 10 at the time.
The arrested employees were identified as Nareshkumar Puranchand Mahore (35), Sanjaykumar Sureshchandra Chandra (44) and Babulal Narayansingh Kushwaha (45). They were brought from Delhi and produced before a Bhiwandi court, which remanded them to police custody.
Investigators alleged that Mahore leaked the question paper from the printing press and passed it on to former employee Sanjay Kumar Sharma and another absconding accused, Sonu Kumar.
According to the SIT, Sharma and Sonu Kumar subsequently supplied the leaked question paper to Gupta, who is believed to have orchestrated the racket.
Police said Sharma had previously worked as the printing press's packaging head, while Sonu Kumar had also been employed in the same department. Investigators suspect the two exploited their familiarity with the printing process to gain access to confidential examination papers.
The SIT is also investigating the duration of the accused's association with Gupta, the payments allegedly made for leaking the papers and their specific roles in the conspiracy.
During the investigation, police recovered three live cartridges from one of the arrested accused.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijay Marathe said investigators were examining where the cartridges had been procured from and the purpose for which they were being carried. Further investigation into the case is underway.