Retd Professor Held In Umred HSC Paper Leak

Nagpur: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Maharashtra HSC chemistry paper leak case arrested a 61-year-old retired chemistry professor on Friday evening, widening the probe into the alleged examination fraud that surfaced in Umred town, about 45-50km from Nagpur.The accused, Satish Kharche, who earlier taught chemistry at a junior college in Umred, was taken into custody after investigators found frequent calls between him and Atul Chaudhary (38), director of a prominent tuition class in Umred and the first accused in the case. Police said the calls were made around January 26, when the suspected leak is believed to have occurred.
Sources said the two shared the same academic subject and investigators found their communication pattern suspicious during scrutiny of call records and digital evidence. Cops suspect Kharche may have links to chemistry paper-setting team of Maharashtra State Higher Secondary Board.Kharche is expected to be produced before a court on Saturday. Investigators said his interrogation is underway and more arrests are likely as the SIT attempts to establish the source of the leaked question paper.The probe had intensified earlier this week after police arrested Chaudhary and registered a case at Umred police station following a report submitted by the education officer (secondary), Nagpur zilla parishad, on March 5.The suspected leak surfaced in February after questions from a practice test conducted by a tuition class in Umred showed striking similarities — reportedly over 50% — with the official HSC chemistry paper. The development prompted the Maharashtra State Board and education authorities to launch a probe.The FIR invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982, along with Sections 61(2) and 316(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with criminal conspiracy and related offences in examination fraud.Police had earlier sought seven-day remand of Chaudhary to facilitate deeper interrogation, but the court granted only one day. Investigators are examining devices seized from him, including his cellphone and computers, to trace digital communications, WhatsApp chats, call records and possible financial trails.Recognising the gravity of the crime and its impact on the fairness of HSC examinations and the future of thousands of students, Nagpur rural SP Harssh A Poddar had ordered formation of the SIT. The team is headed by additional SP Anil Mhaske with assistant SP Vrishti Jain (sub-divisional police officer, Umred sub-division), police inspector Ankush Mane (local crime branch, Nagpur rural), police inspector Ashish Singh Thakur (officer-in-charge, Kelvad police station), and police constable Satish Rathod (cyber police station, Nagpur rural), as members.Poddar earlier said the SIT would focus on tracing the "backward linkages" of the leak, including its possible origin from paper-setters, printing presses, or insiders in the board.