New Delhi: Four more accused, including a J&K Police official and a CRPF constable, have been arrested in connection with the Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspector (JKPSI) exam paper leak, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Monday.
The accused were identified as J&K Police ASI Ashok Kumar, CRPF constable Surinder Kumar, and two private persons Pradeep Kumar and Bajinder Singh.
The CBI has so far arrested 13 accused, including an ASI and two constables of J&K Police, a BSF commandant, a CRPF official, an ex-CRPF constable, and a teacher of a J&K government school, in the scam.
It was found during investigation that the packing incharge of the printing press allegedly stole the exam question paper while it was being packed and sold it to accused who was arrested earlier.
“Accused based in Haryana contacted the other touts based in J&K for soliciting candidates for sale of leaked question paper,” the CBI said.
The touts of J&K allegedly took the candidates from Jammu to Haryana’s Karnal a day before the examination, and vehicles for transporting the candidates to Karnal were arranged by the accused ASI.
A Karnal-based accused arranged the hotel for providing leaked question paper to candidates at Karnal.
Sureinder allegedly provided leaked question paper to certain candidates.
The CBI registered this case on August 3, on the request of J&K Government against 33 accused including then Medical Officer, BSF Frontier Hqrs, Paloura, then Member, then Under Secretary, then Section Officer of the J&K Services Selection Board (J&KSSB), a former CRPF personnel, the J&K Police ASI, owner of a coaching centre in Akhnoor, private company based at Bengaluru, private persons and unknown others on the allegations of irregularities in written examination for the posts of Sub-Inspectors in the J&K Police conducted by J&KSSB in March.
After the results were declared on June 4, there were allegations of malpractices in the examination and the J&K government had set up an Inquiry Committee to look into the same. It was alleged that the accused entered a conspiracy amongst officials of JKSSB, a Bengaluru-based private company, beneficiary candidates and others, and caused gross irregularities in conduct of the written examination.
There was abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri and Samba districts. Violation of rules by the JKSSB was allegedly found in assigning the task of setting question paper to Bengaluru-based private company.
Searches were conducted on August 5 at 30 locations of the accused including at Jammu, Srinagar, and Bengaluru.
Investigation has revealed the alleged payment of Rs 20 to 30 lakh by willing candidates and their families to the accused for accessing the question paper before commencement of the examination. In this regard, involvement of a gang domiciled in Haryana, certain teachers of J&K, some serving/retired personnel of CRPF, J&K Police and JKSSB had allegedly come to light.
(IANS)
