Agra Man Surrenders in Maharashtra TET Paper Leak Case; Arrests Reach 15

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper leak case arrested one more accused on Monday after he allegedly surrendered before a court in Bhiwandi. The accused, identified as Sonu Kumar Diwakar, 35, a resident of Agra, is suspected of obtaining the leaked question paper from two employees of an Agra-based printing press and handing it over to the main accused, Bijendra Gupta.

With this arrest, the total number of people taken into custody in connection with the paper leak has reached 15, the police said.

The police investigation has traced the source of the leak to Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd, a printing press in Agra. According to officials, two current employees and a former employee of the press allegedly concealed the question paper under their shoe insoles and walked out of the premises undetected. Diwakar is believed to have acted as a middleman, collecting the paper from these individuals and passing it on to Gupta.

The Maharashtra TET is a state-level examination that qualifies candidates for teaching positions in primary and upper primary schools. The question paper leak earlier this year led to widespread protests and cancellation of the exam in some districts. The SIT was formed to investigate the matter and has been making steady progress in apprehending those involved.

The court remanded Diwakar to police custody for further questioning. Investigators are now probing the larger network that may have facilitated the leak and distribution of the exam paper. The SIT has not ruled out the possibility of more arrests as the investigation continues.