Tauqeer’s mother and sisters at her residence in Delhi, Tauqeer is one of the accused of CBSE paper leak. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Parents of 26-year-old mathematics tutor Tauqeer — arrested for allegedly leaking the CBSE Class XII economics paper — Sunday claimed their son was made a scapegoat in a “larger conspiracy” since he is “a soft target”. On Sunday, the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Tauqeer and two other school teachers — Rishab Singh and Rohit — for their alleged involvement in the Class XII economics paper leak.
Police claimed Rishab and Rohit leaked the paper 45 minutes before the examination was about to start, and sent it to Tauqeer via WhatsApp. Tauqeer allegedly sold the paper to students for Rs 2,500-3,000 each. The money was later distributed among the three, police said.
On Sunday, Tauqeer’s mother Najbun Nissa told The Indian Express, “We did not know that police have arrested him. Two days ago, he told us that he was going to Uttarakhand with his friends. Today, a neighbour told us that our son’s photograph is being displayed on TV and that he has been arrested.”
Saying that her son was the breadwinner of the family, she claimed, “He would never indulge in any illegal act. He must have been trapped in the larger conspiracy.”
Hailing from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Tauqeer lives with his mother, two elder sisters, wife and children in a JJ Cluster in Bawana. “My husband died two years ago. After his death, Tauqeer took on the responsibility of taking care of us. He quit studying after Class XII and started teaching children,” Nissa said, adding that “we have no money to defend his case”.
His wife claimed, “I had heard of Rishab sir from Tauqeer. He used to send children to Tauqeer for tuitions. I thought he was a helpful person; I did not realise that he would trap my husband.”
Tauqeer’s friend Ahmed Raja claimed, “People who live here are mostly poor. Tauqeer did not even take tuition fee from some students. For the past three years, he had been teaching at a tuition centre for which he used to get Rs 250 per student.”
The owner of the tuition class claimed, “I can vouch for him as a person. He could not be involved in such an activity. If he has done anything wrong, it would come out in the future.”
While Rishab’s family was not available to comment, his neighbour in Bawana’s Asthal Colony said, “The house where he lives with his parents and sister is under construction. The labourers did not come today.” He added that he has not seen the family since Saturday.