Six people have been apprehended by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak incident. The questioning of the offenders took place on Wednesday, July 12 and they were subsequently arrested on Thursday, July 13.
The SIT focused its investigation on one of the accused, DE Ramesh, which led to the identification and apprehension of the rest. Ramesh, an engineer working for the state government, was apprehended earlier in connection with selling the question paper to multiple individuals, as mentioned in a report by The New Indian Express.
The investigation continued after a chargesheet was filed over the incident. Ramesh was discovered to have sold the question paper to a former local public representative from Karimnagar whose daughter was appearing for the exam. It is alleged that the man agreed to pay an amount of Rs 75 lakh to obtain the leaked paper.
The arrests that happened
In the course of the investigation, several arrests have taken place. At first, four people were arrested, followed by an additional ten, and then five more during separate intervals. All the details pertaining to the investigation and arrests would be included in the supplementary chargesheet related to the case. While the initial chargesheet mentioned 49 accused individuals connected to the case, the recent arrests have increased the number of accused to over 80.
The SIT centred its investigations around Ramesh and found several leads. Most of the parents and siblings who purchased the question paper have been identified. The investigation team also focused on Ramesh's bank accounts and discovered a trail of suspicious transactions involving significant amounts of money.
Further arrests were made based on these findings. It is expected that more arrests will take place, potentially involving ten to twenty individuals who were involved in purchasing and cheating with the leaked question paper, as per TNIE.
