The Gandhinagar police on Monday arrested four people — including a police sub-inspector, two BJP members, and a woman — in connection with the paper leak that led to the cancellation of the exam for recruitment of Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) personnel on Sunday. However, the alleged key conspirator is yet to be arrested.
More than 8.76 lakh candidates had enrolled to appear in the written exam at 2,440 centres across the state on Sunday.
However, in view of the paper leak, the exam was cancelled just a couple of hours before it was slated to commence.
Gandhinagar police on Monday arrested Gandhinagar PSI PV Patel, Manhar Patel of Bayad, Mukesh Chaudhary of Banaskantha, and Rupal Sharma of Gandhinagar, in connection to the case. The key conspirator Yashpalsinh Solanki, who works as an ad hoc employee in Vadodara Municipal Corporation, is yet to be arrested.
After their names surfaced in the case, Manhar Patel, a BJP worker from north Gujarat, and Mukesh Chaudhary, a member of Vadgam taluka panchayat, were suspended from the party with immediate effect.
Police claimed the exam paper was leaked from Delhi.
"Our investigation has shown that Solanki had gone to Delhi on November 30, where he got answers to some of the questions that were a part of the test. He came back to Vadodara and gave the answers to Manhar Patel, who handed them to Mukesh Chaudhary," Gandhinagar SP Mayursinh Chavda, told reporters.
Chavda said that Mukesh Chaudhary, Manhar Patel, and Rupal Sharma prepared answers of the leaked exam paper.
"Eight to ten candidates had gone to the hostel in Gandhinagar, where Rupal Sharma used to work, where they discussed the answers to the paper," he said. Police said Sharma, whose father was a policeman, and Mukesh Chaudhary had also enrolled for the exam.
"PSI PV Patel's relatives were appearing in the exam. He played an active role in the conspiracy, and hence he was arrested. He has also been suspended," said Chavda.
The Gandhinagar SP said they are yet to ascertain if any more candidates had also accessed the leaked paper, and how much money was paid in return.
"The candidates were supposed to pay Rs1 lakh initially, and the remaining amount later. We haven't got any evidence of actual money having changed hands, but we are investigating," he said. Vikas Sahay, chairman of Lok Rakshak Recruitment Board, said that fresh dates of the exam would be announced soon.
Sahay declined to provide details about the agency that was given the contract to print the exam papers. Meanwhile, officials said that teams of Gandhinagar police and Ahmedabad crime branch were looking into the circumstances of the paper leak.
In another development, it emerged that the hostel where the conspiracy was executed, is housed in a property owned by Congress MLA Suresh Patel. The MLA from Mansa seat had given the house on a monthly rent of Rs40,000 to one Padmavati Sharma in March on an 11-month contract. The National Students Union of India, the student wing of Congress, wrote to Governor OP Kohli and demanded a judicial probe in the paper leak case.
CRIME SHEET
- Gandhinagar police on Monday arrested Gandhinagar PSI PV Patel, Manhar Patel of Bayad, Mukesh Chaudhary of Banask-antha, and Rupal Sharma of Gandhinagar.
- Police claimed the exam paper was leaked from New Delhi.
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