Arrested from Bihar: Alleged mastermind of Maharashtra TET paper leak held

The Maharashtra police have arrested Bijendra Gupta, the alleged mastermind behind the leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper, from Bihar. Another individual has also been taken into custody, though officials have not disclosed the specific district of arrest.

According to police sources, Gupta was arrested by the Bhiwandi police and later brought to Pune Airport. He will be transported to Bhiwandi for further investigation.

The Maharashtra Special Task Force (STF) and Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had earlier conducted a raid on July 1 at a 'Quick Digital Cyber Cafe' on Kachhari Road in Hajipur, Vaishali district. Three individuals, including cafe operator Sonu Kumar, were detained and interrogated. The probe revealed a connection between Sonu Kumar and Gupta, a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar.

Hajipur police sources said that after Sonu Kumar's confession, a cyber cafe operator was also arrested in Hajipur. Earlier, the police had arrested Pawan Kumar from Delhi and Hariom Panu from Haryana, both alleged close associates of Gupta.

A joint team comprising the Bihar STF and Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi police had previously arrested Gupta's wife, Suman Kumari, on July 1 from Patna district under the Agamkuan police station area. Call records and financial trails linked her to the alleged racket.

The TET 2026 was postponed on June 27, a day before it was scheduled, after Thane district police discovered a part of the question paper had been leaked and arrested three people. The SIT uncovered that the racket extended across Delhi, Agra, Bihar, and Haryana. The TET paper leak, following the national NEET-UG paper leak scandal, has affected nearly 6 lakh candidates.