Class 12 economics paper leak: 3 women being interrogated
SPREADING WIDE Investigators have learnt the paper had been forwarded to more than 1,500 people through 40 Whatsapp groups
NEW DELHI: A special investigation team (SIT) probing the CBSE question paper leak cases is questioning three women for their alleged role in the leak of Class 12 economics paper, officials said on Sunday.
Investigators have also learnt that the leaked Class 12 paper had been forwarded to more than 1,500 people through at least 40 Whatsapp groups by the time the matter was brought to their notice.
On Saturday, three employees of a private school in Himachal Pradesh’s Una were arrested for allegedly leaking the CBSE Class 12 economics question paper by circulating its handwritten copies on Whatsapp.
Commerce teacher Rakesh Kumar, clerk Amit Kumar and peon Ashok Kumar — all employed at the DAV Centenary Public School — allegedly leaked the paper on March 23. The examination was held on March 26.
Police said the leaked question paper had first reached these three women, who are all related, as their children were appearing in the Class 12 board exams.
They are also probing the role of the manager and other employees of the government bank in Una from where Rakesh had sneaked out a sealed set of the economics question paper three days before the exam.
The SIT officials are in Una interrogating the three men.
A member of the SIT said two of the three women are relatives of Rakesh, and he had forwarded the handwritten paper to one of them in Delhi through Whatsapp.
The woman then allegedly forwarded it to her sister in Chandigarh since her son was
THE ARRESTED SCHOOL TEACHER FROM UNA HAD REPORTEDLY SENT THE QUESTION PAPER TO ONE OF THE WOMEN AS HER SON WAS APPEARING IN THE CLASS 12 EXAMS
also appearing for the exam.
“The son of the Chandigarh woman circulated it to his friends, who in turn, forwarded it to their friends and this is how the first chain started. The child of the woman in Delhi also circulated the leaked paper to his friends and it resulted in the beginning of the second chain,” said the officer, adding the leaked paper became viral as it was circulated to multiple Whatsapp group within 24 hours.
Police are questioning the women to ascertain if they were involved in any financial transaction for sharing the leaked paper or they were part of any organised syndicate.
“We have sought the opinion of our legal experts. A decision on whether or not to arrest the women and bank staff would be taken as per the suggestions of the legal team,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, the police are yet to solve the alleged leak of the Class 10 mathematics question paper.
A day before the exam, the CBSE chairperson had received a 12-page mathematics question paper from a student who advised the official to cancel the examination.
Police officials say they have identified the whistleblower, a Class 10 student, who has claimed to have received the question paper over Whatsapp a few days before the exam.