Police arrest Nandurbar Teacher for alleged role in MPSC exam paper leak

Police say 12 people have been arrested in the case, which has fueled wider protests over alleged commission irregularities.

Mayur Thakare, a 40-year-old school teacher from Nandurbar, has been arrested for his alleged role in leaking the MPSC question paper for the post of drug inspector earlier this year. Thakare, arrested in Mumbai on Monday, had introduced the father of one of the candidates to the director of a Nandurbar-based coaching institute at the heart of the racket.

The question paper for the drug inspector’s exam leaked just before the March 22 exam, leading to the eventual arrest of 12 persons (PTI)

The March 22 exam paper leak is one of many alleged irregularities at the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) highlighted by students and young job aspirants who protested for 11 days in Pune, demanding exam and recruitment reforms at the commisison. They called off their protest only after the state government agreed to an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and asked the MPSC chairperson to proceed on leave.

The question paper for the drug inspector’s exam leaked just before the March 22 exam, leading to the eventual arrest of 12 persons, including Thakare. “He had introduced Amrut Patil, the father of Rutuja Patil, the candidate who stood seventh in the exam, to Pravin Patil. The latter was the director of Kautaliya Academy, a coaching institute in Nandurbar,” said a police officer.

Thakare, a sports teacher, was on the run ever since the paper leak surfaced. Police said his phone was switched off and he was staying with relatives in Nandurbar and Dhule. It was turned on only on Monday, when he was picked up in Mumbai.

The racket came to light after Rutuja’s former boyfriend, Gaurav Patil, tipped off the MPSC on July 22, the day the results were announced. Gaurav was not a candidate for the exam but Rutuja had shared the paper with him. He is believed to have blown the whistle on the scam to get back at Rutuja, who had ended their relationship. Police say the leaked question set contained 77 of the 297 questions in the examination.

According to deputy commissioner of police, Rajtilak Roushan, Rutuja’s father, Amrut Patil, procured the leaked paper two days before the test from Pravin Patil, who in turn had received the leaked question set from an MPSC official, Visheshwar Nakate, who allegedly stole it from the MPSC office in Navi Mumbai.

Nakate made another copy and gave it to Abhijit Lendave, another MPSC official. Lendave, in turn, handed the question set to Gopal Marathe, another MPSC official and a former student of Pravin Patil, said the police officer.

Initial arrests included Gaurav Patil, Lendave, Nakate, Marathe, Pravin Patil, Rutuja Patil and Amrut Patil. In September, police arrested candidates Sajid Sande from Sangli and Vijay Kingar from Buldhana. Two middlemen who played a crucial role in leaking the papers to them were also arrested. They are Sandeep Kalate and Bhairavnath Kadam from Navi Mumbai.

While the police claim there were three beneficiaries of the leak, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Rohit Pawar has alleged that the MPSC drug inspector question paper was sold for around ₹12 lakh to several candidates of Kautilya Academy two days before the exam.