Police on Tuesday arrested Khalid Malik, the main accused in the alleged leak of three pages of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) exam question paper.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated that those involved in exam malpractices will not be spared under any circumstances.
Police said that Khalid, who appeared as a candidate in the exam, was arrested from the Laksar area of Haridwar. Earlier, the police had arrested another accused in the case, Khalid's sister Sabia (35). Khalid had been absconding for three days.
Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Singh Dobal said that Dehradun police has taken Khalid into custody for further investigation since the case was registered in Dehradun.
Three pages of the question paper for the undergraduate examination held on Sunday for various departments surfaced on social media.
Investigating officer and Rishikesh Superintendent of Police (SP) Jaya Baluni stated that evidence gathered during the investigation clearly showed that Khalid allegedly took a device to the examination centre at Adarsh Bal Sadan Inter College in Bahadurpur Jat village in the Pathri area of Haridwar, using which he photographed three pages of the question paper and sent them to his mobile phone, which was in Sabia's possession.
She said that Sabia allegedly sent these questions from Khalid's phone to Suman, an assistant professor in Tehri, and received the answers from her. "Sabia sent the question paper photo to Suman and obtained the answers from her, with the intention of helping Khalid cheat in the exam. Therefore, considering her role in the case, she has been arrested," Baluni said.
{{/usCountry}}She said that Sabia allegedly sent these questions from Khalid's phone to Suman, an assistant professor in Tehri, and received the answers from her. "Sabia sent the question paper photo to Suman and obtained the answers from her, with the intention of helping Khalid cheat in the exam. Therefore, considering her role in the case, she has been arrested," Baluni said.
{{/usCountry}}She also stated that during Suman's interrogation, the role of Khalid's other sister, Hina, was also found to be suspicious, and the investigation is ongoing.
A case has been registered against four named and other unidentified individuals under relevant sections of the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Prevention and Control of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Ordinance, 2023, in the Raipur police station area of Dehradun.
Baluni stated that the examination centre was inspected on Monday, and the principal, the examination room inspector, and those who installed the jammer were thoroughly questioned.
Screenshots of three pages of the question paper for the graduate-level competitive examination conducted by the commission on September 21 went viral on social media, showing the time when the photos were taken was shortly after the examination began.
Commission Chairman Ganesh Singh Martolia also expressed shock as to how the question paper was leaked despite the jammers being installed at the examination centres. Following the uproar over this incident, the commission submitted a complaint to Dehradun police, requesting a detailed investigation. Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter.