In a significant crackdown, Pune City Police’s Crime Branch arrested two individuals for allegedly attempting to defraud Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants by offering fake exam papers for ₹40 lakh. The arrests followed complaints from candidates in Pune and Nashik who reported receiving suspicious calls.

The accused, identified as Dipak Dayaram Gaydhane (26) from Bhandara district and Sumit Kailas Jadhav (23) from Nashik, admitted to making these fraudulent calls. They had obtained a list of 24 candidates from a third person, Yogesh Surendra Waghmare, also from Bhandara. The scammers claimed they could provide MPSC question papers a day before the Maharashtra Combined Preliminary Exam, scheduled for February 2, 2025.

Following an alert from Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, an investigation led by Senior Police Commissioner (Crime) Rajendra Mulik traced the suspects to Chakan and other locations. A formal complaint was filed by Dr. Sushana Kharat, Secretary of MPSC, and cases were registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.

While no evidence of an actual paper leak has been found, the investigation continues, with police tracking other suspects linked to the scam in Nagpur. Authorities assured strict action against all involved to uphold the integrity of the examination process.