A special task force of Uttar Pradesh police arrested the associate of a Delhi Police constable on Wednesday evening in connection with a case involving the leak of an exam paper. The UP team is actively pursuing the arrest of the Delhi cop, who is also implicated in the case. The associate in custody is identified as Mahendra Sharma, hailing from Jind, Haryana.Last month, approximately 1,000 aspirants were mobilized by the Delhi policeman and congregated, with some transported by buses, to a resort in Haryana. There, they were provided with the answer key and question paper for the UP Police Constable exam scheduled on February 17 and 18. Mobile phones and gadgets were confiscated, and candidates were instructed to memorize the answers. Visuals from the pre-exam cram session depict numerous individuals seated in rows on a lawn, poring over papers.Sources reveal that each individual paid ₹7 lakh, with the payment due after the exam, in exchange for the leaked papers. The accused also held on to original marksheets from previous exams as a form of insurance. The exam materials were allegedly obtained from two other individuals, identified as Abhishek Shukla from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and Ravi Attri from Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, who was previously implicated in the 2015 AIPMT paper leak case.Authorities believe that apprehending Attri and Shukla may be the final breakthrough in the investigation. Additional Superintendent of Police, Brijesh Kumar Singh, stated, The arrest and interrogation of Ravi and Abhishek could be the last link in this investigation, and efforts are being made for that.This arrest follows a previous apprehension of 15 individuals last month who were allegedly involved in planning to leak question papers for the same exam. Those accused were reportedly accepting payments of up to ₹8 lakh per aspirant. Consequently, the exam was cancelled, affecting over 48 lakh candidates. Reacting to the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized the importance of safeguarding the integrity of examinations.Additionally, the Lok Sabha recently passed an anti-cheating bill aimed at curbing fraudulent practices like paper leaks in government recruitment exams. Under this bill, students acting in good faith will be protected, while severe penalties, including up to 10 years in jail and a fine of ₹1 crore, await those found guilty of leaking exam papers or tampering with answer sheets through collusion with officials.
