Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 2 : The Pune Crime Branch has arrested two individuals for allegedly attempting to deceive aspirants of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) by claiming to possess pre-exam question papers.
The accused, Deepak Dayaram Gayadhane (26) and Sumit Kailas Jadhav (23), were attempting to sell the papers for Rs 40 lakh to students in the Nashik-Pune region ahead of the Maharashtra Group B (Non-Gazetted) Combined Pre-Exam scheduled for February 2, police said.
According to the DCP Crime Branch Pune, Nikhil Pangale, "This information was received on 30th of January. Some complaints had come to the Commission and some newspapers had written about this, that people are receiving calls from some unknown numbers and they are being told on the call that question papers will be given to them in Rs 40 lakh."
Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar has ordered immediate action following a tip-off, and a swift investigation led to the detention of Gayadhane and Jadhav in Mhalunge MIDC, Chakan.
According to the Police, during interrogation, the duo confessed that they had received a list of 24 candidates from Yogesh Surendra Waghmare, a resident of Bhandara, and had contacted students from Nandgaon, Nashik, to lure them into the scam.
He said, "In the investigation that has been conducted so far, we have not received any information about the leak of the paper or any such questions or question papers from these people in this investigation"
A case has been filed at Bundgarden Police Station based on a complaint from Maharashtra Public Service Commission Secretary Dr. Suvarna Kharat. Charges include violations under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Competitive Examinations (Prevention of Improper Conduct) Act.
Authorities later arrested Waghmare in Nagpur with the assistance of the Nagpur Crime Branch. Police are investigating how Waghmare obtained the list and whether any students were involved in the scam.
As of now, there is no evidence of an actual paper leak, and investigations continue. The case is being closely monitored by senior police officials.