- Maharashtra Police arrested three for selling TET question papers for Rs 1.5 crore
- Case filed against five suspects, including two absconders, in Bhiwandi on June 27
- Police caught suspects after a trap based on a tip-off and posed as buyers
Maharashtra Police arrested three people for allegedly selling Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) Hindi, Marathi, Social Science, or Mathematics question papers for Rs 1.5 crore.
Police registered a case against five people, including two absconders, at Kongaon Police Station in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, on June 27.
The arrests were made after a police team comprising an Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, and Assistant Sub-Inspectors, on the directions of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhiwandi, laid a trap to nab the suspects red-handed following a tip-off.
Complainant Vibhav Ramdas Chumbhle, who is posted as an ASI at Kongaon Police Station, stated that, "Information was received that some people had obtained the question paper for the TET examination scheduled to be held on June 28. These people were expected to come to Dongarali, Pipeline, in Bhiwandi."
Based on the information, the police team, along with two independent witnesses, reached Dongarali on the Thane-Nashik Highway, close to the Pipeline area in Bhiwandi, and approached the suspects posing as customers who needed the paper.
According to the FIR, the suspects initially agreed to show the TET question paper over a video call, but when the police officer demanded a hard copy before buying it, they agreed, saying, "If you want the Hindi, Marathi, Social Science, or Mathematics question papers, you will have to pay Rs 1.5 crore. If you agree, we will first arrange the hard copy and show it to you. After seeing the hard copy, you must immediately pay us Rs lakh as an advance." reads the FIR.
As the police officer, who posed as a customer, agreed to buy it, the suspects were arrested when they were about to hand over the hard copy kept inside an envelope.
Police said the suspects have been identified as Rajiv, 45, and Akash, 30, both residents of Bihar, and Dheeraj, 28, a resident of Haryana. Apart from this, police added two more suspects identified as Kapil and Bijender, who are on the run.
Police officials said that the suspects were involved in multiple paper leaks across India. The suspects were booked under sections related to cheating and criminal conspiracy of the BNS, the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, and the Maharashtra Competitive Examination Act at Kongaon Police Station.
Notably, Maharashtra TET paper eas postponed after it was leak 24 hours before the examination.
