Maharashtra TET Paper Leak: Bihar Man Alleged Kingpin, Multiple Arrests Made

The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 paper leak has exposed an alleged extensive inter-state examination racket, with a Bihar resident, Bijender Gupta, identified as the purported kingpin. The investigation by Thane Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) has led to multiple arrests and revealed a conspiracy spanning across several Indian states, significantly impacting over six lakh aspiring teachers who were registered for the examination. Initial developments saw the Bhiwandi court on Sunday, June 28, 2026, remanding three accused—Akash Kumar (30) and Rajiv Shah (45), both residents of Patna, Bihar, and Dhiraj Kumar (28) from Panipat, Haryana—to eight days of police custody until July 6. These individuals were arrested on Saturday, June 27, from Kongaon village on the outskirts of Bhiwandi while allegedly attempting to sell the leaked question papers. Police recovered four sets of the TET 2026 question paper from them, which were subsequently verified by education department officials to be authentic copies of the actual examination paper scheduled for the following day. The accused were allegedly planning to sell these papers for a sum of ₹1.5 crore. During the court proceedings, the prosecution informed the judge that Bijender Gupta, a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar, was the alleged mastermind behind the paper leak. Police highlighted Gupta's extensive criminal history, stating he has been allegedly involved in at least 20 paper leak incidents across various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, over the past 25 years. He was reportedly the prime accused in the 2023 Odisha JEE paper leak case and has been absconding for four years according to Bihar Police records. Gupta, along with another key accused, Kapil Dahia of Haryana, was initially declared wanted and remained absconding as the manhunt widened. In a significant breakthrough, the SIT later arrested Kapil Dahiya from Pathankot, Punjab. Dahiya was allegedly responsible for identifying buyers for the leaked question papers. Further arrests included Mithun Singh, Gupta's brother-in-law, who allegedly distributed the leaked papers in Pune, and Sonu Singh, a resident of Hajipur, Bihar, who purportedly ran a photocopy shop and created fake identity cards and duplicated the leaked papers on Gupta's instructions. The investigation also led to the arrest of Bijender Gupta's wife, Suman Gupta, from Patna, Bihar. She was subsequently remanded to police custody and is suspected of having played a crucial financial role in the racket, managing proceeds and assisting her husband in evading arrest. Her family, however, distanced themselves from Bijender, claiming unawareness of his activities. The origin of the leak has been traced to Mahim Patran Pvt Ltd, a printing company based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, where the state education department had contracted the printing of examination papers for several years. Police suspect internal involvement and have arrested three employees of the printing company—Naresh Puranchand Mahore, Sanjaykumar Sureshchandra Chandra, and Babulal Narayansingh Kushwaha—alleging they helped smuggle the confidential papers out of the press. These arrests brought the total number of individuals held in connection with the case to ten by July 4, 2026. The Maharashtra TET 2026 examination was postponed following the discovery of the leak, causing distress and uncertainty for over six lakh candidates across the state. The case has highlighted critical vulnerabilities within India's examination system. While a stringent anti-paper leak law has been enacted for central examinations, state-level tests like the TET often fall under standard criminal laws, potentially allowing repeat offenders to secure bail and perpetuate such frauds. Look-out circulars have been issued against absconding accused to prevent them from fleeing the country. The ongoing probe aims to dismantle the entire inter-state network and uncover the full financial trail and all conspirators involved.

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