Six, including cop, held for leaking SSC paper

PAPER WAS LEAKED LAST YEAR

A YEAR after the Delhi Police Crime Branch started their investigation into the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) question paper leak, six persons, including a former Delhi Police constable, have been arrested. The former constable was earlier arrested in 2014 for allegedly leaking the Delhi Police exam paper.

Sources said raids are being conducted by the Inter-state Cell (ISC) of the crime branch to nab the other accused, who are allegedly involved in the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) question paper leak as well.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Madhur Verma confirmed that they have busted the racket. “We have cracked the case after an intensive and thorough investigation. A search is on to nab the remaining accused,” he said.

On March 29 last year, the SSC cancelled the written examination conducted on March 20 for the posts of sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors — SSC CPO (SI/ASI) — after one of the pages of the question paper went viral on Whatsapp and social networking websites.

Police registered an FIR after they received a complaint from the chairman of the SSC, Ashim Khurana.

During investigation, police found that Khurana had received three complaints of the paper being leaked.

“The first complaint was received from the eastern region office (Kolkata), where a copy of the answer key was confiscated from two students at Ranchi railway station. The second was filed from northwestern region (Chandigarh) by Delhi Police constable Mohit. He claimed he had received the question paper on the Whatsapp group of his coaching centre. The third complaint was received from Neetu Singh, founder of KD Campus, a coaching institute for competitive exams. She said she got the paper from one of her students, who in turn got it from a fellow passenger on the Metro. She then posted that the paper had been leaked on her Facebook page five hours before the examination,” police sources said.

Police scanned the Whatsapp group - “My Student of Uttam Nagar” — and found that the paper was posted by one Bipin Kumar. On questioning Kumar, police found that he had received the paper from one Sonu Singh, a resident of Siwan in Bihar.”

“A team was sent to Siwan. During questioning, Sonu said he got the paper from one Manish Kumar Tiwari. Police served a notice to Tiwari and asked him to join the investigation. He refused and got interim bail from the High Court, following which he went on the run,” sources said.

However, police said Tiwari was finally arrested on February 15. He disclosed names of the other accused, following which four arrests were made.”

“Police then arrested the constable, Vikash Chander Bose, who was posted with the 7th battalion of Delhi Armed Police. He disclosed the name of the mastermind of the racket, who is now absconding along with his associates,” sources said.

Police have arrested 27 people from four states in connection with the paper leak. The probe also revealed that clients paid Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh each for the paper.