2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 10:14 AM IST
The police had traced the paper leak to the Agra-based press, where the two employees and a former employee are alleged to have hidden the question paper beneath their shoe insoles and walked out of the press. (File)
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper leak case, arrested one more accused, an Agra resident, on Monday after he allegedly surrendered before the Bhiwandi court.
With this, the total arrests in the case have reached 15.
On his alleged role in the paper leak, police said that Sonu Kumar Diwakar, 35, got the question paper from two employees of the Agra-based printing press Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd, and gave it to main accused Bijendra Gupta.
The police had traced the paper leak to the Agra-based press, where the two employees and a former employee are alleged to have hidden the question paper beneath their shoe insoles and walked out of the press.
The two employees of the press – Nareshkumar Puranchand Mohore and Babulal Narayansingh Kushwaha – along with former employee Sanjay Kumar Sureshchandra Chandra were arrested on July 5.
After extensive search, the SIT had managed to nab Gupta last week, and he is currently in police custody till July 30.
The police claimed that they had put constant pressure on Sonu due to which he allegedly came to Thane on Monday and surrendered.
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“We have arrested Sonu and he would be produced in the court on Tuesday,” said a senior police officer.
Gupta and his aide Indrajit Kumar are in police custody while the other 12 accused are in judicial custody. Four accused, including Gupta’s wife Suman Kumari, have applied for bail applications in the Bhiwandi court. The bail application will be heard on Wednesday.
The scam came to light following a tip-off received by the police. Acting on the information, Deputy Commissioner of Police Pawan Bansode launched a covert operation in which a police inspector posed as a prospective buyer. After the accused believed they had found a customer, they allegedly contacted Gupta, who dispatched two persons with four sets of leaked question papers.
Police laid a trap at a hotel in Kongaon and arrested three accused – Dhiraj Singh, Akash Kumar and Rajiv Kumar – while they were allegedly attempting to sell the papers.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.
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Cyber & Financial Crime: Extensive coverage of sophisticated scams, including cases involving high-value cyber fraud, stock market manipulation scams, and fraudsters using government figures to gain trust.
Law Enforcement & Investigation: Reports directly on major police actions, including arrests made by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in fraud cases (e.g., MHADA flat scams) and detailed coverage of murder and kidnapping investigations.
Major Incidents & Public Safety: Covers significant incidents like building collapses, road accidents, and public safety issues such as theft at large public events.
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Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
