BHIWANDI: Two key accused allegedly linked to 168 prospective buyers of the leaked Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper have been arrested, nearly two months after police busted the racket, with the SIT now probing the wider network and possible transactions.The two — Pune-based govt employee Prakash Misal and Bihar native Ashok Shaw, who was staying in Delhi — were among the remaining prominent accused identified during the probe. Police said Misal was in touch with around 50 people who had shown interest in buying the paper, while Shaw allegedly maintained a list of 118 prospective buyers. The list was recovered from his Delhi residence.
How the leak occured
Shaw was arrested in Patna, Bihar, while Misal was arrested near Bhiwandi Naka on Sunday after police learnt he was planning to surrender before a court. Both were produced before the Bhiwandi court and remanded in police custody till Sept 23.The SIT has so far verified 18 of the 118 names on Shaw’s list and found they were preparing to appear for the TET examination. Verification of the remaining 100 is underway.Police suspect Shaw was directly linked to Solapur-based coaching-class operator Prakash Pawar, who has already been arrested, and was also in contact with alleged mastermind Bijendra Gupta.Investigators are questioning Misal to determine the price at which he allegedly planned to sell the paper and whether any sale took place. Earlier, accused Kapil Dahiya, who had allegedly travelled to Pune to deliver the paper to Misal, told investigators he could not hand it over.Police had busted the racket two days before the scheduled examination, forcing postponement of the TET.DCP Pawan Bansod confirmed the arrests. ACP Sachin Sangle, part of the SIT, told TOI, “Their interrogation will help us establish to whom they intended to sell the paper.”Last week, the SIT filed a 3,470-page chargesheet before the Bhiwandi fast-track court against those arrested earlier in the case.With Misal and Shaw’s arrests, police said the two remaining prominent accused identified during the investigation have been apprehended. Further arrests will depend on findings from their contacts and financial transactions.
