The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested a doctor today, Saturday, March 16, in connection with the leak of state police recruitment examination question papers.
According to a press statement issued by the STF, Dr Shubham Mandal, a Bihar resident, was detained by the Meerut unit of the task force, according to a report by PTI.
"Mandal was one of the accused who leaked the question paper stored in a warehouse in Ahmedabad," read the press statement. Mandal was called to the STF unit in Meerut, where he was arrested after questioning.
The arrest came a day after the Uttar Pradesh police announced the arrest of three alleged masterminds who were former employees of a company that transported question papers and conspired with few of the firm's current employees, who are also charged in the case, to leak the Uttar Pradesh police recruitment test question paper in the first week of February.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the question paper was leaked while being carried to a strong room from a printing press, and it was stored in a warehouse in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Mandal was suspected by the police of being part of an interstate ring that leaked government recruitment exam questions.
According to police, the total number of people arrested in the investigation has now reached 55.
The constable recruitment exam, which was scheduled for February 17 and 18, had to be cancelled due to a leaked question paper. More than 48 lakh applicants took the test across the state on the two days.
Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered an investigation and re-test, and Renuka Mishra was eventually ousted as head of the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board.
She was placed on the "wait list" after being removed from her position, and Vigilance Director Rajiv Krishna was granted additional board responsibilities.
Mandal's name would be added to the FIR filed in Meerut in this instance.
The case was filed at Meerut's Kankarkheda police station under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating by inducement), 467 (forgery of valuable documents), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), and 386 (extortion by putting any person in fear of death or grievous hurt).
