LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday arrested four members of a gang involved in leaking the question paper of the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (Preliminary) Examination 2023.
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) had conducted the exam on Feb 11, which was cancelled on March 2, following reports of the question paper going viral.
Dr Sharad Singh Patel, Abhishek Shukla, Kamlesh Kumar Pal, and Arpit Vineet Yashvant have been arrested from Vrindavan Yojna near Kalindi park in Lucknow, officials said while adding that till now 12 persons have been arrested in the case.
The alleged mastermind, Subhash Prakash, a resident of Bhopal, however, is still on the run.
“Subhash happens to be an accomplice of Rajeev Nayan Mishra, who was arrested by STF in connection with a police constable exam last month,” said STF.
STF officials said that the investigation revealed that Dr Sharad Singh Patel, who had previously been incarcerated by Varanasi Police in July 2022 in connection with the VDO exam-2019, had conspired with Saurabh Shukla (manager, GD Memorial Public School, Para Lucknow) to leak the examination paper of RO/ARO from the examination centre.
Saurabh Shukla involved Kamlesh Kumar Pal, manager, Blue Star Public School, Jhunsi, Prayagraj, in the scheme.
Further inquiries revealed that Kamlesh Kumar Pal, alias KK, had multiple meetings with Saurabh Shukla and Dr Sharad Singh Patel in Lucknow.
Kamlesh Kumar Pal disclosed that Arpit Vineet Yashvant from Bishop Johnson Girls School and College, Prayagraj, would send the leaked paper via WhatsApp after it reached the examination centre.
“Arpit Vineet Yashvant had agreed to leak the paper for a sum of Rs 5 lakh, of which he received an advance of Rs 1 lakh,” said STF.
Additional SP, STF, Dinesh Singh said that the arrested suspects have been charged under various sections including IPC Section 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), Section 34 (common intention), Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and Section 66D of the IT Act.
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