A breakup exposed Maharashtra Drug Inspector examination leak?
Investigators say a leaked question paper moved from a coaching operator to a woman candidate and then to her boyfriend. The fallout has forced the MPSC to cancel the Drug Inspector recruitment as the Crime Branch widens its probe.
A relationship that ended on a sour note may have helped authorities uncover a leak in a Maharashtra state government examination, leading to the exam being later cancelled.
The development comes as the Mumbai Crime Branch probes a question paper leak linked to the Drug Inspector recruitment examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in March this year and cancelled earlier this week.
Six people have been arrested so far, including the Commission's Additional Secretary Abhijit Lendwe and three other officials.
According to sources, among the first indications of alleged wrongdoing in the examination process were claims of a paper leak made by one Gaurav Patil in the days after the test. In a complaint made to the MPSC, Patil claimed to have got the March exam papers beforehand from his ex-girlfriend.
The woman’s father is believed to have paid Rs 5 lakh to Pravin Patil, a coaching-class operator, to secure the exam paper.
Interestingly, Gaurav Patil’s complaint was made after a bitter end to his relationship with the woman.
The sources said the woman subsequently shared the leaked paper with Gaurav Patil, appeared for the examination and qualified for the Drug Inspector post.
However, after their breakup, Gaurav approached the MPSC and in a subsequent email, he claimed that he had fabricated the paper-leak allegation, adding another layer of intrigue to the case.
Investigators are now examining the circumstances surrounding both claims.
While Gaurav has been arrested, the woman candidate has only been served a notice.
‘I ATTEMPTED 78 QUESTIONS’
Investigators are also looking into a phone call made by the woman candidate to the coaching-class operator after the examination.
During the call, she reportedly claimed that she had attempted 78 questions and that around 90 questions, along with their options, were identical to those in the leaked question set.
Sources said the candidate deliberately attempted fewer questions during the examination to avoid raising suspicion.
ANOTHER CANDIDATE RAISES QUESTIONS
The leak eventually reached the commission's attention through another candidate, Gangurde, who had publicly questioned the recruitment process.
Gangurde had posted a video on social media questioning the publication of a category-wise list without marks and asking how candidates had been shortlisted for interviews.
Sources said Gaurav came across Gangurde's video and subsequently contacted him. The two later met, after which the matter gained further traction.
MPSC CANCELS RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Amid the controversy, the MPSC cancelled the entire recruitment process for Group-B Drug Inspector posts under the Food and Drug Administration.
A fresh examination will now be conducted. Candidates who have applied for the original examination will not have to submit fresh applications or pay another examination fee.
The date of the re-examination is yet to be announced.
The screening examination was held offline on March 22 at centres in six divisional headquarters across Maharashtra.
Its results were declared on June 12, with 506 candidates initially found eligible for interviews. Interviews of 488 candidates were subsequently held between July 1 and July 22.
After the interviews, the commission published a provisional merit list containing 488 candidates — 485 eligible candidates and three who were declared ineligible — for the Drug Inspector post.