The CBI probe into the railway exam paper leak has revealed that the examinees were given not just the questions and answers but also access to experts to clear doubts regarding the paper. These were provided by the computer company appointed to conduct the General Department Competitive (GDC) exam for Western Railway.
The accused, including 10 railway employees, a CRPF officer and office-bearers of Aptech Limited, conspired to sell question papers to examinees. Their clients were also provided with the exam results well in advance.
CBI sources said that some examinees were shown the question papers at a hotel in Surat where “competitive exam experts” helped clear any doubts they may have had.
The investigation began in 2021 when the CBI received a complaint from WR’s office in Mumbai. The computer-based test for non-technical popular categories, (non-graduate) junior-clerk-cum-typist and train clerks was held on Jan 3, 2021. Over 8,600 candidates took the exam at 28 centres in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
The complaint revealed that the Railway Recruitment Centre found the paper leak during a departmental investigation at Mumbai Central.
A vigilance inquiry document submitted to the CBI stated, “Aptech Limited supplied question papers and answers to candidates before the exam in exchange for a hefty fee.” CBI sources suspect that the candidates paid between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for the question papers and answers.
Days after the exam, candidates even received their exam results through an unverified WhatsApp link even before the official announcement.
On Dec 30, the CBI registered an FIR against 15 accused persons and unknown others, charging them with cheating and criminal conspiracy.
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