Rajasthan SOG arrests key accused in 2022 forest guard exam paper leak in Gujarat

Jaipur, Dec 8 (PTI) The Special Operations Group of Rajasthan Police, with assistance from the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad, has arrested a key accused in the 2022 forest guard recruitment exam paper leak case, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Jabararam, a government school teacher carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, is being brought to Banswara, the officials said.

According to police, Jabararam was the first handler of the leaked paper, which surfaced ahead of the exam held on November 13, 2022, in two shifts.

The leak originated from Palanpur and Ahmedabad in Gujarat – the first instance in Rajasthan where exam papers were procured from another state.

The joint operation was carried out on the directions of Vishal Bansal, ADG, Special Operations Group (SOG), under the supervision of DIG Paris Deshmukh, an official statement said.

The investigation revealed that Jabararam, the alleged mastermind, handed over solved question papers to his associate Kanwararam – a suspected liquor smuggler – at Hotel Geetanjali in Palanpur to avoid suspicion.

Another associate, Harish Saran, a government teacher in Udaipur, received the solved papers in Ahmedabad.

From Palanpur, Kanwararam travelled to Udaipur, where candidates were coached on the solved paper at a rented accommodation belonging to one of his friends.

Saran reached Banswara, where candidates in two separate locations were similarly briefed. The gang also supplied solved papers to Rajsamand, while another team coached candidates in Jodhpur, police said.

The SOG findings, detailed in a chargesheet filed in a Banswara court, showed that candidates from Jalore, Barmer and Balotra were among those who received the leaked papers.

The chargesheet also noted that Jabararam paid Rs 2.5 lakh to Kanwararam as part of the operation.

Jabararam’s arrest, officials said, is expected to help uncover the additional links in the interstate paper leak racket. PTI AG ARI