Mumbai Crime Branch Arrests Six in MPSC Drug Inspector Exam Paper Leak Case
The Mumbai Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested six people, including three officials of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), in connection with an alleged paper leak in the Drug Inspector examination in Mumbai. Following their arrest, all six accused were produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody until September 2.
The arrests occurred shortly after the MPSC cancelled the recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector, Group-B, in the state Food and Drug Administration Department. The commission initiated a preliminary inquiry after receiving multiple complaints regarding widespread malpractice in the screening test.
According to official reports, the Commission had issued the recruitment advertisement for the Drug Inspector post on July 29, 2025. The offline screening examination was subsequently conducted on March 22 across six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra, and the results were announced on June 12.
A total of 506 candidates were shortlisted for the interview round based on their screening examination performance. Between July 1 and July 22, interviews were conducted for 488 candidates. Following the conclusion of the interviews, the MPSC published a provisional general merit list on its official website containing 488 candidates, including 485 eligible and three ineligible aspirants.
Between July 22 and July 26, the Commission received several complaints via email from candidates who alleged that questions for the March 22 screening examination had been leaked in advance on March 20. The complaints stated that the question paper and specific questions were circulated across social media and other electronic platforms prior to the test.
Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the Commission submitted a formal complaint to the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 27 requesting a thorough investigation. The Mumbai Crime Branch took over the probe, which led to the arrest of the six accused, including the three personnel linked to the MPSC. Police officials confirmed that the investigation into the paper leak is ongoing.
