Ranchi, Feb 21 Jharkhand Police arrested Prashant Kumar Sao, a school-coaching operator from Markacho in Koderma district in connection with the leak of Hindi and Science papers of Jharkhand's 10th Board examinations. Prashant is the son of local BJP leader Prakash Saha.
Two students have also been detained in this case.
Prashant, who runs a private school and coaching centre in Jamu, Markacho block, is currently being interrogated by the police.
During questioning, Prashant revealed that the leaked paper was provided by a student named Prince Rana, a resident of Markacho. Prince, who is hearing and speech impaired, was scheduled to appear for the examination this year.
At the time of the investigation, Prince was reportedly in Bengaluru with his parents, Indradev Vishwakarma and Aarti Devi, for medical treatment. He allegedly missed his return train, as a result of which he could not appear for the exam.
When police raided Prince’s residence, they found his grandmother and younger brother at home.
Investigations have revealed that the leaked question papers were sold through a WhatsApp group for just Rs 350. Prince is believed to be the group’s administrator.
This WhatsApp group was reportedly created for the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) Board Examination, with links shared for students to join. The group had over a thousand members.
A payment of Rs 350 was allegedly demanded via QR code for access to the leaked question papers, which were shared in PDF format and protected with a password. Those who paid received the password to unlock the documents.
The leak was confirmed when the Science paper distributed at 9.45 a.m. in Thursday’s first shift matched the paper circulating online. Following this revelation, the examinations for both Hindi and Science subjects were cancelled.
Reports of similar leaks have also emerged from Giridih, Garhwa, and East Singhbhum districts.
The Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police in these districts are conducting separate investigations, with several persons already questioned in Garhwa.
The Jharkhand Academic Council has directed Deputy Commissioners to submit investigation reports by Friday.
The Hindi exam was conducted on February 18, while the Science exam took place in the first shift on Thursday. The Council has stated that new dates for the re-examinations will be announced later.
The Class 10 Board exams in Jharkhand began on February 11, with 1,297 examination centres set up across the state. A total of 4,33,890 students are appearing for the exams.
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