PATNA: An engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, Anand Gaurav is stated to be the mastermind behind the question paper leak of preliminary examination for state civil services conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC).
Anand Gaurav alias Pintu Yadav is, however, evading arrest.
The startling revelation about the engineering graduate's involvement in the BPSC preliminary examination's question paper leak case was made by his close associate Rajesh Kumar.
Rajesh, employed as an assistant in the state agriculture department, told the interrogators that each aspirant for the lucrative job in the state administration was charged anything between Rs 8 to 10 lakh for the 'help' extended to them in the preliminary examination, which was conducted on May 8.
Gaurav's name had earlier figured in the teachers' appointment scam that surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad in 2015. A member of the SIT said that Gaurav indulged in illegal activities after doing B. Tech from NIT, Patna. Besides, he was also booked in a murder case.
The state government had handed over the investigation into the leak of the question paper of 67th BPSC's preliminary examination to the state police's economic offences unit (EOU).
Subsequently, a 14-member special investigation was led by the superintendent of police Sushil Kumar.
The SIT arrested the four members of the gang and seized electronic gadgets, including a laptop, pen drive, blue-tooth, pen camera, walkie-talkie, metal detector, GPS made device used in the examination besides Rs 2.92 lakh cash.
During the searches, the raiding team unearthed a well-furnished control room set up by the gang at Lohanipur under the Kadamkuan police station area of Patna. It came to light that the gang members were technically sound and adept in technical knowledge.
ADG, EOU, Nayyar Hasain Khan said the process of freezing the bank accounts of the suspects has already started. Raids were on to nab other members of the gang involved in the BPSC question paper leak case being probed by the EOU's Cyber cell.
Gaurav's four associates were identified as Rajesh Kumar, Nishikant Kumar Rai, Krishna Mohan Singh and Sudhir Kumar Singh. They were being questioned by senior police officials.