Lucknow: In a major crackdown on one of Uttar Pradesh’s biggest recruitment exam scams, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a supplementary chargesheet against 18 accused persons. These individuals include alleged mastermind Rajiv Nayan Mishra in the UP Police Constable Recruitment Exam–2023 paper leak case.
The chargesheet was filed before the Special Judge, CBI Court, Lucknow, designated as a Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED investigation was initiated based on an FIR registered on March 6, 2024, by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) at Kanker Kheda police station in Meerut. During the probe, multiple other FIRs related to the same conspiracy—registered across different dates and police stations—were identified and clubbed with the investigation.
According to the ED, the accused persons hatched a well-organised criminal conspiracy to leak question papers of both the UP Police Constable Recruitment Examination–2023 (UPPCRE-2023) and the UP Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer Examination–2023 (RO/ARO Exam). The leaked papers were allegedly sold to candidates for hefty sums, who memorised the questions and answers before appearing in the exams conducted in February 2024.
Investigators further revealed that money generated from the RO/ARO exam paper leak was used to finance the UP Police Constable exam leak, exposing a layered and self-sustaining fraud network.
As part of the money laundering probe, the ED identified assets worth Rs 1.02 crore as Proceeds of Crime (POC) and attached them through a Provisional Attachment Order dated August 6, 2024, which was later confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority, New Delhi.
Earlier, Ravi Attri and Subhash Prakash had been arrested by the agency. They were arrested on November 18, 2024. A chargesheet against seven accused, including these two, was filed on January 10, 2025, and the court has already taken cognisance. The case is currently under trial.
The ED stated that further investigation is being conducted. The agency has indicated that more disclosures and legal action may follow in the sprawling exam scam that rocked the state’s recruitment system.
(IANS)
