E-Paper
UP Police, RO/ARO paper leak cases: Enforcement Directorate files supplementary charge sheet against 18 accused under PMLA
Senior ED officials said the filing is part of the agency’s sustained probe into the financial trail and proceeds of crime generated through the large-scale recruitment examination scam in Uttar Pradesh.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lucknow zonal office, on Wednesday filed a supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) against 18 accused, including the alleged mastermind Rajiv Nayan Mishra, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Examination 2023 and the UP Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) Examination 2023 paper leak cases, confirmed senior ED officials in a press statement.
The supplementary charge sheet was filed before the special judge, CBI Court, Lucknow, designated as the special court under the PMLA. Senior ED officials said the filing is part of the agency’s sustained probe into the financial trail and proceeds of crime generated through the large-scale recruitment examination scam in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the ED, the accused named in the chargesheet include Rajiv Nayan Mishra, Ankit Shekhar, Shubham Mandal, Manish Sharma alias Monu, Bittu Singh Bahadur, Shyamveer Singh, Gaurav Kumar alias Gaurav, Sunil Raghuvanshi, Vishal Dubey, Vivek Upadhyay, Amarjeet Sharma, Kameshwar Nath, Amit Singh, Sharad Singh, Arun Singh, Naveen Singh, Punit Singh and Ayush Pandey.
Officials said the filing of the supplementary chargesheet marks a significant expansion of the money laundering probe, with investigations continuing into the broader financial network linked to the examination scam. Further action and additional filings cannot be ruled out, the agency added.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR dated March 6, 2024, registered by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) at Kanker Kheda police station in Meerut under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. During the course of the probe, the agency also took into account several other FIRs registered across the state in connection with the same examination leak racket.
As per the investigation, the accused allegedly hatched a criminal conspiracy to leak question papers of both the UP Police Constable Recruitment Examination 2023 and the UP RO/ARO Examination 2023. The leaked papers were sold to candidates for monetary gain, and aspirants were provided with the question papers and solved answers well before the examinations, enabling them to memorise the content ahead of the tests held on February 11, 2024 (RO/ARO) and February 17-18, 2024 (Police Constable). The two exams were later cancelled. The re-exam for the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment was later successfully held in August 2024. The rescheduled preliminary exam for UP Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) was conducted on July 27, 2025.
ED officials further revealed that the proceeds generated from the RO/ARO paper leak were used to finance and facilitate the leakage of the UP Police Constable examination papers, indicating a linked and organised operation.
During the probe, the ED identified properties worth ₹1.02 crore as proceeds of crime and provisionally attached them through an order dated August 6, 2024. The attachment was later confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority in New Delhi.
Earlier, the ED had taken Ravi Attri and Subhash Prakash into custody on November 18, 2024, and filed a prosecution complaint against seven accused on January 10, 2025, which the special court has already taken cognisance of. That case is currently under trial.
Investigators have consistently identified Rajiv Nayan Mishra as the key mastermind behind both the RO/ARO and police constable examination leaks. Mishra allegedly remains central to the ED and police investigations as agencies continue to unravel the scale, funding and beneficiaries of one of the biggest recruitment scams in the state in recent years.
