A Thane Police chargesheet alleges Maharashtra TET question papers were smuggled out of an Agra printing press hidden inside shoe insoles, with employees allegedly paid ₹8,000 each.
The chargesheet names 18 accused, including alleged mastermind Bijendra Gupta, with 16 arrested and two still absconding, police said.
Investigators allege all four sets of TET papers were removed from the press and later offered for sale, leading to the June 28 examination being postponed.
The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question papers were allegedly smuggled out of a printing press in Agra hidden inside shoe insoles, with two employees paid Rs 8,000 each to steal the confidential examination material, according to a chargesheet filed by Thane City police, Times of India reported.
The chargesheet, filed before a Bhiwandi court on Friday, names 18 accused, including alleged mastermind Bijendra Gupta. Sixteen accused have been arrested, while Ashok Sav and Prakash Misal remain absconding, police said.
TET Papers Hidden In Shoes At Agra Press
According to the chargesheet, the leak originated at Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd, an Agra-based printing press contracted to produce the confidential TET examination material.
Between June 15 and 17, two employees and a former staffer allegedly folded and concealed question papers inside their shoe insoles while leaving the premises. Security guards frisked their clothes but allegedly failed to check their footwear, allowing the papers to be taken outside, investigators said.
The Maharashtra authorities had prepared four separate sets of question papers for the two TET papers. The arrangement was intended to maintain confidentiality, with one set to be selected on the day of the examination.
Investigators allege that all four sets were nevertheless removed from the printing press.
The employees were allegedly paid Rs 8,000 each and promised plots of land in Agra in exchange for stealing the papers, according to the chargesheet.
Police Traced Papers To Alleged Sale Network
The alleged racket came to light on June 27, a day before the TET was scheduled to be conducted. Deputy Commissioner of Police Pavan Bansod received information that three men were allegedly attempting to sell the question papers to a resident of Bhiwandi.
Police subsequently laid a trap using decoy personnel in Kongaon and detained the suspects. Four sets of question papers were recovered, according to the chargesheet.
Officials from the Maharashtra State Council of Examination later verified that the seized material matched the actual TET question paper.
The June 28 examination was subsequently postponed.
Police have invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, along with provisions of Maharashtra laws dealing with examination malpractice. A special investigation team is probing the case.
Investigators have identified Gupta, a former coaching-class teacher, as the alleged mastermind. Police said he had previously been implicated in another examination paper leak case in Odisha.
The chargesheet cites alleged money trails, technical evidence and the recovery of an original question paper from the Bihar residence of a relative of Gupta as evidence of the alleged supply chain.
Police said the investigation is continuing and a supplementary chargesheet will be filed.
