‘Have connections to help you become principal’

Crime Branch’s Special Investigation Team arrested a 45-year-old woman, resident of Punjab’s Ferozepur, for her alleged involvement in the CBSE paper leak of Class XII economics and Class X mathematics exams.

The police said that the accused teacher Rakesh Kumar, her distant relative, wanted to oblige her as she had told him that she would help him become the principal of DAV Centenary Public School where he was a commerce teacher.

Sources in the Crime Branch said that the woman Anju Bala holds the post of assistant librarian at Ferozepur Institute of Management and is related to Mr. Kumar through her husband, a professor. “The woman had told Rakesh that she can help him become the principal by pulling some strings. She told him that she was close to a person who further had good relations with Dr. Poonam Suri (president of DAV Management Committee) and he could put in a word for Rakesh,” the officer said.

It has been learnt that Rakesh has completed around nine years in the school and after completing 10 years, he could apply for the principal’s post. “He had already submitted his papers for review. He thought that with Anju’s help, he could get the principal’s position,” the officer said adding that this is the reason Mr. Kumar wanted to “oblige” her and show her “his influence”.

The woman’s own son, sources said, is pursuing BTech but her relatives’ children including her sister in Panchkula and other relatives in Delhi were appearing for Class X and XII exams. Therefore, she forwarded the handwritten question papers to them via WhatsApp and thereon, they went viral.

Sources said that the woman was called in for questioning earlier during the five-day police custody of Mr. Kumar but was let off. However, she was called again on Thursday morning following which the arrest was made.

Regarding the role of bank manager Sheru Ram and cashier Om Prakash, the officer said that Mr. Ram was the custodian of the question paper and both of them possessed their own set of keys to the premises where the question papers were kept. “Both of them had to be present when the question paper would be handed over to Mr. Kumar, but Mr. Ram asked Om Prakash to go alone. The latter was negligent enough to let Mr. Kumar take three bundles of paper instead of the one which he was supposed to take for that day’s examination,” he said.

More arrests possible

The SIT comprising DCPs Dr. Ram Gopal Naik and Dr. Joy Tirkey, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar, Inspector Sushil Kumar, Sub Inspector Dinesh and 18 other officers who’ve cracked the case are questioning others including bank and school staff for further investigation. “It’s possible that another arrest can be made for negligence,” the officer said.

When questioned if monetary transactions were made during the leak, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Alok Kumar said that involvement of money hasn’t come to the fore so far.