JSSC junior engineer paper leak case: Exam agency director arrested in Mumbai

A question paper allegedly leaked before an examination meant to fill 1,279 government posts has now led investigators to Mumbai, where Ranchi police arrested the director of the agency entrusted with conducting the test.

Arun Kumar, director of Delhi-based Bynisys Technology Private Limited, was arrested by a Special Investigation Team of Ranchi police in connection with the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission's (JSSC) Junior Engineer (Diploma) Competitive Examination, 2022, officials said on Tuesday.

The JSSC had examined on July 3, 2022, for recruitment to 1,279 Junior Engineer (Diploma) posts.

The test, however, was thrown into controversy after the answer key for the first shift allegedly went viral and reports emerged that the question paper had been leaked even before the examination began.

The Commission subsequently cancelled the examination.

The case dates back to July 14, 2022, when candidate Mithlesh Kumar Mahto filed a written complaint at Namkum police station, following which an FIR was registered under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act and the Bihar Examination Conduct Act.

A Special Investigation Team was later constituted to investigate the alleged leak.

According to police, the probe established that the question paper had indeed been leaked. Investigators also traced the examination's operational responsibility to Bynisys Technology Private Limited, based in Delhi.

As the investigation progressed, police uncovered what they described as a syndicate allegedly involved in arranging access to the leaked material. Investigators claimed that several candidates in Patna were supplied answers in advance and were made to memorise them before appearing for the examination.

The probe subsequently pointed towards the alleged involvement of the examination agency and its operators in the wider conspiracy.

Acting on intelligence that Arun Kumar was staying in Mumbai, a Ranchi police team carried out a raid and arrested him.

Kumar, a resident of Khokhuna village under Chiksaura police station limits in Bihar's Nalanda district, is the latest accused to be taken into custody in the case.

Several other arrests have already been made. These include candidate and prime accused Ranjit Mandal, alleged syndicate members Deepak Kumar, Abhishek Kumar and Deepak Srivastava, and Krishna Kumar, a senior manager of the examination agency. Police said all of them have been sent to judicial custody.

The investigation, however, is far from over. Police said several suspects remain absconding and raids are continuing at multiple locations as investigators work to trace those allegedly linked to the paper leak network.