NEW DELHI: The CBI has arrested seven more people, including some CRPF and police personnel, in connection with the police sub-inspector recruitment scam in Jammu and Kashmir Police, officials said Thursday.
They said the agency had questioned them in Jammu before taking them into custody.
Those arrested were CRPF Head Constable Pawan Kumar, CRPF Constables Atul Kumar, Amit Kumar Sharma and Sunil Sharma, Jammu and Kashmir Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaisuriya Sharma, and private individuals Tarsem Lal and Asheesh Yadav, they said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had conducted searches on Tuesday at seven locations in Jammu, Pathankot, Rewari and Karnal in connection with the recruitment scam.
The CBI took over the investigation into the case on August 3 on a reference from the Jammu and Kashmir government.
It had arrested 13 persons in connection with the case earlier.
Out of 13 accused arrested earlier, nine are in judicial custody and four in police custody.
The case pertains to the leak of the question paper for the examination through which 1,200 posts of sub-inspectors were to be filled by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board.
"Investigation had revealed that the alleged payment of Rs 20 to 30 lakh (approximately) was made by willing candidates and their families to the accused for accessing the question paper before the commencement of the examination," the CBI spokesperson said.
The agency had recently arrested one Pradeep Kumar, working at an Okhla-based printing press as packing in-charge.
He allegedly stole the examination question paper at the time of packing and sold it to Rewari-based Yatin Yadav, who was also arrested in the case.
According to the CBI, it was Yadav who contacted the other touts based in Jammu and Kashmir to lure candidates for the sale of the leaked question paper, the CBI said.
The candidates were transported from Jammu to Karnal in vehicles arranged by Jammu and Kashmir Police ASI Ashok Kumar a day before the examination.
In Karnal, tout Bajinder Singh arranged a hotel where candidates were handed over the leaked question paper, the CBI has alleged.
They said a CRPF personnel allegedly provided the leaked question paper to certain candidates.
The exam results were declared on June 4 this year.
After the allegations of malpractice in the conduct of the exam surfaced, the Union Territory government constituted an inquiry committee to look into the matter.
"It was alleged that the accused entered into a conspiracy amongst officials of JKSSB, a Bengaluru-based private company, beneficiary candidates and others, and caused gross irregularities in the conduct of written examination for the posts of sub-inspectors.
"It was further alleged that there was an abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri, and Samba districts," the CBI has said.
The JKSSB allegedly violated rules in outsourcing the setting of the question paper to a Bengaluru-based private company, the agency had said.