Investigating officials from the Central Crime Branch have reportedly solved the mystery of question paper leaks in various government job recruitment exams after it emerged that the papers were apparently stolen by a security guard from Manipal Technologies Unit Printing Press in Udupi. The security guard – Anil Francis – later quit his job in October 2018. He is currently working in a private company in Sharjah, UAE. He was arrested as soon as he landed in Bengaluru on Monday.
In November 2018, the question paper for a constable recruitment exam in the police force was leaked while the police also found a leak in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) job recruitment exam. One-hundred-fifty persons have been arrested in the case, including 125 candidates appearing for the two examinations. This includes Ameer Ahmed, to whom who Anil reportedly sold the question papers.
The modus operandi
“Ameer Ahmed is a known offender in dealing with question papers. Knowing that Francis is a security guard with the press, Ahmed befriended him with the help of a woman and encouraged him to steal the papers. Anil stole question papers of BMTC’s conductor exam and civil police constable exam. Meeting him near the mortuary of KMC hospital in Manipal, Ahmed purchased the question paper for Rs 17 lakh,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar told Media.
The investigating officials also revealed that the question papers were stolen from the shredder room of the printing press. The question papers were then photocopied and handed over to Ameer near the mortuary of Manipal’s Kasturba Hospital days before the police constable recruitment exam on November 25.
Ameer later sold the papers to CT Basavaraju in Tumakuru for Rs 55 lakh, who in turn passed the papers to the candidates appearing for the exam. The candidates paid Rs 8 lakh each for the question paper
