By PTI
AHMEDABAD: Four more persons, including two women candidates, were arrested on Wednesday by Gujarat’s Sabarkantha police for their alleged involvement in the leaking of a question paper of an exam held on December 12 for the recruitment of government head clerks, said a senior official.
Also, more than Rs 34 lakh in cash was recovered from the premises of the main accused, Jayesh Patel, and his aide Dipak Patel, both already arrested, he said.
With the latest arrest, police have so far rounded up 18 persons involved in the alleged crime and recovered cash and other valuables worth Rs 78.46 lakh from them, said Sabarkantha district SP Neeraj Badgujar.
The written exam for the recruitment of 186 head clerks was conducted at centres across Gujarat on December 12 by the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB), with nearly 88,000 aspirants appearing for the test.
The exam was annulled after the paper leak episode came to light.
Those who were arrested on Wednesday were identified by the police as Danabhai Dangar, Keyur Patel, Krupali Patel and Himani Desai.
The police also recovered Rs 34.10 lakh in cash from the premises of Jayesh Patel and his aide Dipak Patel, who were arrested earlier, said the SP.
“While Dangar was involved in acquiring the question paper from the supervisor of a printing press (where it was printed), Keyur Patel helped Jayesh Patel in gathering candidates at one place to solve the leaked paper. The two arrested women candidates (Krupali Patel and Himani Desai) had appeared for the exam after acquiring and solving the leaked paper from other accused a day before the test,” said Badgujar.
Notably, the Gujarat government had on Tuesday cancelled the written test in the “larger interest” of nearly 88,000 candidates who had appeared and announced to hold a fresh exam in March.
After the paper leak came to light, an FIR for cheating (IPC section 420), criminal breach of trust (409) and criminal conspiracy (120-B) was lodged at the Prantij police station of Sabarkantha district a week ago.
Police investigations have so far revealed Jayesh Patel, a native of Unchha village of Prantij taluka, and other accused persons managed to acquire the question paper from the supervisor of a printing press and sold it to over 15 candidates and also helped them in solving the paper at various locations a day before the exam.
