The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made significant strides in the ongoing investigation into the Paper Leak Case of the Senior Teacher 2nd Grade Competitive Examination, 2022 in Rajasthan. On January 11, 2024, ED arrested five individuals, namely Suresh Kumar AKA Suresh Sau, Vijay Damore, Peeraram, Pukhraj, and Arun Sharma, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The arrests were made based on the ED’s investigation initiated under the PMLA, 2002, stemming from FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Rajasthan Police against individuals including Babulal Katara, Anil Kumar Meena AKA Sher Singh Meena, and the recently arrested persons.
The ED’s inquiry revealed intricate details of the alleged malpractice. Arun Sharma, one of the arrested individuals, allegedly provided 29 candidates for the competitive examination, arranging leaked papers in exchange for Rs. 2 Lakh per candidate. Another accused, Peeraram, facilitated the paper leak by providing his bus for tutoring candidates with leaked answers on Suresh Sau’s instruction.
Pukhraj, another individual in custody, played a role in arranging accommodations for candidates, providing solutions to leaked questions, and even appearing in the examination using a leaked paper obtained from Suresh Sau. Suresh Sau, identified as the main player in the paper leak case, allegedly took Rs. 1 Crore from Bhupendra Saran and Suresh Dhaka for providing leaked question papers, sourced from his brother-in-law, Suresh Dhaka, the mastermind of the scam.
Vijay Damore, implicated in the case, was alleged to have written down GK paper questions in a register at the behest of his maternal uncle, Babulal Katara, a Member of RPSC (Rajasthan Public Service Commission). Damore supplied the register to Anil Kumar Meena AKA Sher Singh Meena, who further distributed it to Bhupendra Saran, Arun Sharma, and others in exchange for illicit gains.
The ED had previously conducted searches at 22 premises of the accused on June 5, 2023, and October 13, 2023, leading to the recovery of incriminating documents and digital records. Movable and immovable properties worth Rs. 3.11 Crore were provisionally attached, and three individuals—Babulal Katara, Anil Kumar Meena, and Bhupendra Saran—were arrested earlier in the case. Prosecution complaints were filed against them on November 9, 2023, before the Special Court of PMLA in Jaipur.
The recent arrests further underscore the ED’s commitment to unraveling the complexities of the paper leak scam, ensuring accountability and justice in matters of corruption and malpractice.
