12th Arrest Made in MPSC Paper Leak Case
Mumbai Crime Branch arrests Mayur Chandrakant Thakre, bringing the total number of arrests in the MPSC paper leak case to twelve.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has successfully apprehended the 12th accused in the high-profile Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) paper leak investigation. The arrest of the wanted individual marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing probe into the examination irregularities.
New Arrest in MPSC Scam
On Monday, the Property Cell of the Crime Branch arrested Mayur Chandrakant Thakre in connection with the MPSC paper leak scandal. Following his arrest, Thakre was produced before a court, which has remanded him to police custody until October 17. This development brings the total number of individuals arrested in this specific case to twelve.
Background of the Investigation
The investigation was triggered after the MPSC was forced to cancel the entire recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Department. This drastic measure was taken after evidence surfaced regarding serious irregularities in the examination process.
The investigation by the Crime Investigation Branch revealed that at least one candidate had gained unauthorized, prior access to the question paper, compromising the integrity of the competitive exam.
The Timeline of Malpractice
The controversy traces back to the screening examination held on March 22, which was conducted offline across six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra. The process had proceeded through several stages:
- March 22: Screening examination conducted.
- June 12: Results declared.
- July 1 – July 22: Interviews conducted for 488 eligible candidates.
- July 29: MPSC published a provisional general merit list.
The scandal broke wide open between July 22 and July 26, when the Commission received a surge of complaints via email from both candidates and public representatives. These complaints alleged that certain candidates had obtained the question paper as early as March 20, subsequently circulating the content through social media and other electronic platforms.
Legal Action and Previous Arrests
A formal case has been registered under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 2024, as well as the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The crackdown began in earnest on August 26, when the Crime Branch arrested six individuals for breaching confidentiality regarding the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) examination. The police investigation confirmed that the accused had illegally obtained questions from the examination set to gain an unfair advantage.
As the Mumbai Police continue their investigation, the arrest of Thakre underscores the authorities' commitment to cleaning up the competitive examination process and ensuring meritocracy in state recruitment.