Maharashtra cops bust MahaTET paper leak; question papers allegedly meant to fetch Rs 1.5 crore

Aspirants travelled up to 200 km to the centres, only for TET to be cancelled. File pic for Representation

The Bhiwandi police on Saturday arrested three men who were found carrying four sets of the MahaTET question paper. They were arrested from the Kongaon area of Bhiwandi after police received a tip-off that a group was arriving from Delhi to sell the papers.

Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said the accused had allegedly demanded Rs 1.5 crore for the leaked paper. "We received information that some people would be coming to Kongaon to sell tomorrow's TET examination paper. A trap was laid, and around 11 am, three persons arrived. During the search, four sets of the question paper were recovered. The Education Department verified that these were the actual papers for Sunday's examination," he said.

Police identified the accused as Rajiv Shah, 45, and Akash Kumar, 30, both from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar, 28, from Haryana. Police are now trying to determine where they obtained the papers.

"We know they had come to sell the papers, but we are yet to ascertain who the intended buyers were. The investigation will also examine the possible involvement of schools, tuition centres, and coaching institutes," Dudhe said. One of the arrested men had previously appeared for the TET examination but failed.

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SIT formed

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by DCP Pawan Bansode, has been constituted to probe the case. The team comprises two ACPs, two Police Inspectors, an Assistant Police Inspector, a Police Sub-Inspector and around 20 police personnel. Multiple teams have also been dispatched to different locations to trace the source of the leak and identify others involved.

Political uproar

Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister
termed the paper leak "highly outrageous", saying he will speak to CM Devendra Fadnavis for registration of a case under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. The Opposition, meanwhile, slammed the BJP and Shiv Sena for the lapse.

Harshwardhan Sapkal, state Congress chief
said, "The reports suggest that the question paper was leaked in Thane, the stronghold of Shinde. Who is giving political protection to the racket that is ruining the hard work, dreams, and future of lakhs of students?"

Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv sena (UBT) leader
said on X that the TET leak is the latest in a series of such incidents, including the NEET exam and the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in the past. "Instead of focusing on breaking political parties to change the Constitution, the BJP should have concentrated on preventing these recurring exam paper leaks. They have jeopardised the future of the country''s youth," he said.

Abhijeet dipke, Cockroach Janta Party
At a press conference, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said, "First NEET, now Maharashtra TET exam got leaked and called off at the last minute… the TET paper leak in Maharashtra proves, whether on the state level or national level, the BJP government can't conduct even a single exam. All they can do is break political parties and poach MLAs and MPs."