Candidate paid 25 lakh for solved paper: SOG

Jaipur: After gathering evidence of paper leak, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police has started investigations into the School Lecturer Recruitment Exam-2022 conducted by Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

The SOG arrested Deepak Lakshkar (27) on April 10, resident of Jaipur's Sanganer, for arranging a solved exam paper for his sister, Kavita(35), hours before the Economics paper with a deal to pay Rs 25 lakh.

The state agency has identified Omprakash Gurjar from Tonk, Ganpat Bishnoi from Jalore, Ramratan and Purushottam Lakhera, both residents of Sanganer, and others for their involvement in the nefarious network. Sources in the SOG said Kavita was taken to a place near Mansarovar metro station where she, along with 8-10 other candidates, was given solved copies of the question paper by Bishnoi and his associates about two hours before the exam. Later, Kavita was dropped at her exam centre.

Investigations revealed that Rs 12 lakh was initially paid to Omprakash Gurjar after the exam and the rest Rs 13 lakh after Kavita's selection. The money was raised by Deepak from selling a JDA plot for Rs 18 lakh in Priyadarshini Nagar area in Jaipur, officials of SOG said.

After arresting Deepak, the SOG seized Deepak's iPhone 12 and an Oppo mobile phone, both containing chats between him and Kavita, mentioning an assurance from Bishnoi for guaranteed selection. Mobile phones used by Ramratan and Purushottam were seized during raids at their houses.

Now, SOG suspects that exam papers for Hindi and Geography to have been leaked in advance. Investigators are trying to trace the original source of the leak and identify who supplied the question papers to candidates.

"We are piecing together the information gathered so far to ascertain the network behind these leaks, and more names are likely to crop up," an SOG officer told TOI.

Notices will be issued soon to certain selected candidates, requiring them to appear before investigators and submit documents pertaining to their exam.