JAIPUR: Five trainee sub-inspectors were arrested on Sunday by the Special Operations Group (SOG) for their alleged involvement in a paper leak incident of the Rajasthan SI recruitment exams held in 2021, officials said.
The arrested include the son and daughter of former Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Ramu Ram Raika. Raika’s daughter, Shobha, secured the 5th rank, while his son, Devesh, got 40th rank. Raika served as an RPSC member from July 2018 to July 2022.
Other three trainees include Manju Devi, Avinash Palsania and Vijendra Kumar, an SOG statement said. All five accused were produced before a court from where they were sent to police remand till September 7, the statement said.
All five trainees were taken into custody from Rajasthan Police Academy (RPA) and brought to the SOG office for interrogation on Saturday. The SOG has so far arrested 42 selected trainee SIs and more than 30 others connected to the paper leak gang. Several other trainee SIs remain under the SOG’s radar. The first arrest of a trainee SI related to this examination took place in April this year.
Ramu Ram Raika confirmed that his son and daughter had previously attempted the RAS recruitment exam in 2016, but were unsuccessful. He said that during the SI recruitment-2021, all commission rules were strictly adhered to. “ However, if anyone is guilty, they should be punished severely,” Raika said.
In the midst of the controversy, an old video of Raika from 2023 resurfaced, in which he is seen claiming in a meeting that during his tenure at the RPSC, he facilitated interviews for many people from his community.
On March 6, the SIT formed by the Bhajanlal Sharma government apprehended 14 trainee SIs from RPA. The SOG initiated action following an FSL probe into admit card photos, examination videography, and signatures on the attendance register. On April 2, another 15 trainee SIs were detained and brought to SOG headquarters. After interrogation, 11 trainee SIs were arrested on April 3.