Navy question paper leak case accused dead

A co-accused in the Indian Navy question paper leak case V S Thakur died of a heart attack in Pune, just before he was to be interrogated by a CBI team, CBI sources said on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old Thakur who owned 'Atharva' press in Pune was suspected to have leaked the paper of the clerical post exam, that was printed by him, they said.

He suffered a massive heart attack and succumbed in a hospital before he could be questioned on Sunday, the sources added.

The exam was held on Sunday to fill up 175 clerks' posts at Western Naval Command Headquarters and over 35,000 candidates appeared to write the exam which was later scraped by the Navy.

Four persons - R C Naikh and D S Murthi - both administration officers in Western and Eastern Naval Commands respectively, Ranbir Singh Rawat owner of Manasa International defence recruitment agency in Andhra Pradesh's Vishakhapatnam and Haryana-based teacher Hoshiyar Singh - have been arrested in connection with the case.