1,000 UP constable job aspirants flocked Gurgaon resort before exam to get question paper: STF

Earlier, on March 5, six suspects — identified as Deepu, Bittu, Praveen, Rohit, Naveen, and Sahil — were arrested in the paper leak case. They are all residents of Meerut.

After announcing the cancellation of the examination, the state government removed Renuka Mishra, chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment & Promotion Board (UPPRPB), which conducted the examination.

The STF said, “Those arrested earlier revealed the purported involvement of Mahendra Sharma in the paper leak. A team was formed to nab Sharma who was arrested from the shop where he works. During questioning, Sharma said that on February 15, Vikram Pahal, a Delhi Police constable, took him to a resort in Gurgaon’s Manesar where the question paper was to be brought. Vikram promised to pay him a couple of lakh rupees in exchange for his help. At least 300 candidates had already arrived at the resort and 700 more aspirants were brought in 10-12 buses by one Gaurav Chaudhary and his associates. The resort owner was also present there.”

“The next day, Vikram and his associates brought the question paper for the second shift of the examination. Monu Sharma of Haryana’s Jhajjar and Vikram Dahiya of Sonepat district were also accompanying Vikram. There was discussion on bringing in the maximum number of candidates to the Gurgaon resort for sharing the paper,” the STF added in its statement.

An officer, who is part of the investigation, said the paper was procured by Abhishek Shukla of Prayagraj and Ravi, a Noida resident, whom Vikram was in constant touch with and are now absconding.

“Shukla and Ravi handed over the paper to Vikram Pahal. In 2015, Ravi, who has an MBBS degree, was also involved in the leaking of the Haryana PMT examination. The aspirants were supposed to pay Rs 5-7 lakh each to the gang members in lieu of the question paper. The accused kept their original marksheets and other documents as security, and if the paper shared with them came in the exam, they were to pay the money to get their documents back,” said the officer.