Bihar Police Arrests Four More in Constable Exam Paper Leak Incident

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police arrested four individuals on Thursday in connection with the constable recruitment examination question paper leak on October 1, 2023. This incident led to the cancellation of the exam by the Central Selection Board of Constables (CSBC) on October 3.

The arrested individuals include Kaushik Kumar Kar and Sanjay Das from North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Suman Bishwas from Kolkata, and Saurabh Bandhopadhay from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, on June 5, the EOU had detained Ashwani Ranjan, Vikki Kumar, and Aniket, all residents of Bihar and alleged members of the interstate Sanjeev Mukhiya gang. They are currently in judicial custody.

Previous Arrests and Investigations

Several members of the Mukhiya gang have already been apprehended by Bihar Police in connection with other paper leak cases. These include the NEET UG and Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) Teachers Recruitment Exam (TRE - 3). The EOU has registered a total of 74 FIRs across various districts and has arrested over 150 people in different question paper leak cases.

According to an EOU statement, Kaushik Kumar Kar's Kolkata-based firm, Caltex Multiventure Pvt Ltd, was contracted to print and supply the question papers for the Bihar constable recruitment examination. However, it was found that Caltex Multiventure Pvt Ltd was merely a one-room shell firm with no employees. The printing and supply of question papers were outsourced to Blessing Secured Press Pvt Ltd, where Kar's wife was a director.

Deviations from Standard Procedures

Further investigations revealed that Kar had allegedly been involved in previous question paper leak cases for recruitment exams conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Services Commission (UPPSC) in 2019 and the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in 2022. This prompted him to establish Blessing Secured Press Pvt Ltd.

The EOU's statement also highlighted serious deviations from standard operating procedures regarding the transportation, storage, and handover of question papers by Kar and his associates. Instead of sending the question papers to the state treasury as agreed, Kar's affiliated firms sent them to a warehouse owned by DP World Express Logistic Pvt Ltd in Patna. The papers remained there for six days without notifying the authorities.

Question Paper Leak Details

During this period, members of the Sanjeev Mukhiya gang were contacted by Kar. The question papers were opened and circulated among gang members for further distribution to aspirants who paid substantial sums for advance knowledge. "During the examination on October 1, several candidates were caught cheating using electronic devices and other fraudulent methods," stated the EOU.

This led to complaints of irregularities which prompted the cancellation of the exam and postponement of tests scheduled for October 7 and October 15. The Bihar Police Constable 2023 recruitment aimed to fill 21,391 vacancies across various wings of the state police. The examination was conducted at 529 centres across 37 districts of Bihar on October 1, attracting over 18 lakh aspirants.

The investigation continues as authorities aim to uncover more details about this extensive network involved in leaking examination papers. The arrests highlight ongoing efforts to ensure fair recruitment processes in Bihar.