PATNA: The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak investigation has led police to Bihar, where they suspect Samastipur resident Bijendra Gupta to be the mastermind behind the operation.
According to reports, Bijendra Gupta is not a new name in paper leak scandals. He has been accused of leaking examination papers in several states, including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, for nearly 25 years.
Maharashtra Police have so far arrested three people in connection with the leak and recovered four sets of question papers during a trap operation in the Kongaon area of Thane district.
During interrogation, the three accused claimed that Gupta was the mastermind behind the operation. The arrested accused have been identified as Aakash Kumar and Rajiv Sah from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana. The three accused arrested by Thane Police had flown to Thane from Delhi to finalise a deal worth Rs 1.5 crore.
According to police sources, the question papers were supplied to these operatives by a syndicate based in Delhi, whose backend was operating directly from Bihar. A police team is currently camping in Bihar to apprehend the alleged mastermind of this inter-state network.
It is not the first time that Bihar-based gangs have figured prominently in cases related to question paper leaks or solver gangs impersonating genuine candidates in competitive examinations.
The links to the 2024 NEET paper leak were traced to the infamous Nalanda-based Sanjiv Mukhiya. His network was so extensive that it allegedly infiltrated printing presses and courier companies in various states.
Now, with the Bihar and Delhi connection emerging in the Maharashtra TET case, investigators are also examining whether former operatives from Sanjiv Mukhiya's network may be involved in this scam.
Many operatives linked to the Sanjiv Mukhiya network are out of jail or on bail.
Investigating agencies are trying to ascertain whether Bihar's "Nalanda-Samastipur" gang is part of the Maharashtra TET paper leak case.