Police investigation into the Std 12 board examination paper leak has revealed that the main accused, Sandeep Baburao Saratkar (54), Director of Vidyasadhana Education Institute, allegedly threatened examination staff that they would be sacked from their jobs if they did not cooperate with him. Under pressure, the peon and the centre head at the examination centre were forced to share the question paper, which was later passed on to Pradeep Bhaiyyalal Jangde, Principal of Vishakha Junior College, and eventually circulated on WhatsApp among students. Investigators said Saratkar allegedly wanted to ensure that students from his college and those attending his tuition classes could score high marks and secure places in the merit list. Police said the incident first came to light on February 18 during the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations when the Chemistry question paper was allegedly leaked while the exam was still in progress.

 

During the investigation, it was revealed that not only the Chemistry paper but also Mathematics and Physics papers were leaked in a similar manner. The paper leak came to fore when a mobile phone was seized from a student at the St. Ursula School examination centre in Sadar.

 

During the examination, officials found that the question paper had been shared in a WhatsApp group. A person identified as Nishikant Mul had posted the question paper in the group, while a teacher, Farhan Akhtar, had allegedly shared answers to the questions. Following the discovery, police arrested several persons including Musta Khan, Junaid Ahmed Javed Sheikh, Dinesh Shankar Kotangale, Manish Sudam Shambharkar and Pradeep Bhaiyyalal Jangde. After questioning the arrested accused, police identified Saratkar as the mastermind behind the paper leak. “During the investigation it was found that Saratkar threatened staff members and forced them to share the paper. The paper was then circulated on WhatsApp,” a police officer said.