THE NEWS FREEDOM
SHIMLA/NEW DELHI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today filed two chargesheets against 88 accused in the ongoing investigation of cases related to the leakage of question papers of the HP Police Constable Recruitment Exam 2022, which was held on March 27, 2022. The chargesheets were submitted before a competent court in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
The CBI took over the investigation of two cases registered by the HP Police on May 5, 2022, at Police Station Gaggal, and on May 7, 2022, at Police Station CID, Shimla, after a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, upon the request of the HP Government. The investigation aimed to address allegations of leakage and irregularities in the HP Police Constable Recruitment Exam 2022.
According to the CBI, after a thorough investigation, two chargesheets were filed. The investigation revealed that two accused individuals from Bihar conspired with others to steal and misappropriate the question papers of the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam. These papers were then provided to selected candidates through various middlemen in exchange for money ranging from approximately Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh at locations including Mandi, Kangra, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur, and Mohali. Additionally, it was discovered that approximately Rs 1.25 crore were transferred between the accounts of the accused during the relevant period. The investigation further disclosed the existence of organized groups based in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Haryana involved in the leakage of exam papers.
Further investigation revealed the involvement of individuals running various private institutes in Nalanda (Bihar), Kangra (HP), Rohtak (Haryana), Delhi, and Jammu, who have been charged accordingly. The names of these institutes have been forwarded to the National Testing Agency (NTA) for suitable action, as their roles also came to light during the investigation. Additionally, the probe unearthed the involvement of former public servants belonging to the Indian Railways, the Education Department of HP, as well as former employees of the Electricity Board of HP, the Chandigarh Police, the Delhi government, and the Defence Accounts and Audit. Departmental action has been recommended against former Police officials of the Himachal Pradesh Police for alleged lapses and negligence identified during the investigation.
