Thane Police Arrest Three in Kongaon for TET-2026 Exam Paper Leak
On Saturday at 11:00 AM, the Thane police arrested three men in Kongaon village, near Bhiwandi, in connection with the leaking of the TET-2026 exam question papers. During the operation, police recovered four sets of the leaked question papers, which education department officials later confirmed were authentic copies of the actual papers meant for the examination.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Akash Kumar, 30, and Rajiv Shah, 45, both residents of Patna in Bihar, and Dhiraj Kumar, 28, from Panipat in Haryana. The accused told the police that they had arrived in the area from Delhi on Friday and were planning to sell the leaked question papers to candidates for a total of Rs 1.5 crore.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr. Pawan Bansod, the suspects came from diverse backgrounds. Akash Kumar and Rajiv Shah were previously involved in land deals in and around Patna, while Dhiraj Kumar had recently failed a competitive examination for the recruitment of teaching staff at Kendriya Vidyalayas.
The police raided the premises in Kongaon following a specific tip-off. Multiple police teams from Bhiwandi tracked down the three individuals and seized the documents.
The accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, forgery, fabrication of documents used for fraudulent purposes, and criminal conspiracy. They also face charges under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and other specified Examinations Act, 1982.
To conduct a thorough investigation, the Thane police have established a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Headed by DCP Bansod, the SIT includes two assistant commissioners of police from Bhiwandi, nine inspector-cadre officers, and 20 other personnel.
"We are still investigating how they reached Bhiwandi, where they stayed, and who their local contact in Bhiwandi was," Bansod said. Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe added that police teams have already been dispatched to various locations across the country to investigate further connections.
