Police arrest main accused Khalid & his sister in alleged UKSSSC exam paper leak case

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

The main accused, Khalid Malik was arrested by police in Haridwar on Tuesday in connection with the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level recruitment exam paper leak.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also found that the examination room where Malik was appearing and from where the images of the UKSSSC graduate-level exam paper were allegedly leaked, did not have a jammer installed unlike in other rooms. The investigation team is questioning the examination centre staff and the jammer team in connection with this lapse. Malik’s sister Sabia (35) was also arrested earlier on Tuesday on charges of forwarding photos of the question paper to get them solved.

The Rishikesh superintendent of police Jaya Baluni, who is handling the investigation, said that Sabia knew her brother was appearing in the exam at the Bahadurpur Jat centre who reportedly sent her the photos of the question paper. Despite this, she sent the question paper photos to Professor Suman, an assistant professor in Tehri, to get the answers and communicated with her to obtain the solved responses.

She said that based on evidence gathered during the investigation, police arrested Sabia for forwarding the questions and obtaining answers with the intention of cheating. Khalid’s other sister, Hina and Professor Suman Chauhan, who helped prepare the answers, remain in police custody. Teams are also working to apprehend other individuals involved in the case, she said. The SP also informed that the room where Khalid appeared for the exam did not have a jammer installed.

The SIT is now questioning all staff members of the exam centre and the jammer team. A case has been registered at Raipur police station under the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Ordinance, 2023. Baluni stated that the SIT is also investigating those who circulated screenshots on social media instead of informing the police or UKSSSC immediately, which could have allowed the main accused to be caught at the exam centre immediately.

The officials also informed that Khalid was constantly using his mobile phones that helped the police track him in Haridwar on Tuesday evening. After nabbing Khalid, Haridwar police handed over him to Dehradun police late on Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing, they added.