Teachers’ Eligibility Test paper leak case: 20 more under Special Task Force’s scanner – Times of India

STF sleuths suspect that these 20 people were also involved in leaking the UPTET paper. The recruitment test scheduled to be held on Sunday was cancelled after the paper leak was confirmed. STF also sent notices to officials of the private agency that was conducting the recruitment examination as well as some clerks of Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB) asking them to appear to record their statements. Senior officials privy to the probe revealed that the names of 20 more persons surfaced during the grilling of those arrested on Sunday.

STF officials said that among the 29 arrested, 14 are solvers, one examinee, one primary teacher, three kingpins of different gangs, while 10 others ran exam rigging rackets by providing question papers of various exams to candidates.

Among those arrested, 18 were nabbed from Prayagraj, four from Lucknow, three from Shamli, two from Ayodhya, and one each from Ambedkarnagar and Kaushambi. Photocopies of question papers were recovered from their possession and on being matched were found identical to the UPTET paper, said ADG, law and order, Prashant Kumar. Rajendra Kumar Patel, who was arrested from Prayagraj, disclosed that he was in touch with owners of exam centres and provided ‘Bluetooth devices’ to examinees for cheating.

Another arrested accused Satya Prakash Singh said he had arranged solvers for his relatives Abhishek Singh and Renu Kumari and had paid Rs 2.5 lakh to one Ajay Dev Singh Patel, who arranges solvers, for the task.During interrogation, Roshan Singh Patel, an accused arrested from Kaushambi, revealed that he had met one Prabhat Kumar in Ballia in 2018 who told him that he arranges solvers and provides question papers of different exams. Prabhat introduced him to Santosh Kumar of Lucknow who had sent the UPTET paper to him.

Similarly, Mahesh Chandra arrested from Ayodhya revealed to officials that one Ramesh Kumar, a teacher in a private school, arranges solvers. Mahesh had contacted a candidate Pappu Arya for whom Kumar arranged a solver Ramesh Kumar in Uttarakhand TET held on November 26, this year for Rs 1 lakh.

Several other names have also surfaced during interrogation, said STF sleuths.

“STF is in hunt of all those whose names were revealed by the arrested accused during interrogation,” said SSP, STF, Hemraj Meena.