THE Uttarakhand police on Saturday arrested a paper leak accused, Hakam Singh, and his associate for allegedly promising six candidates success in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission exam, scheduled for Sunday, and demanding Rs 12-15 lakh.
Singh had earlier been arrested in a paper leak case three years ago.
A Special Task Force and Dehradun Police arrested the two accused, Singh and Pankaj Gaur, based on a tip-off, said SSP Ajai Singh. “We got a tip-off that the accused were demanding Rs 12-15 lakh from the students for helping them pass the exam, and in case of failure, they promised to commit the sum for their next exam. We rounded up Gaur, who informed us of Singh’s involvement. No one had paid up yet; there is no paper leak in this case,” said the SSP.
The UKSSSC is conducting a written examination for graduate-level posts in various departments on September 21. In 2022, Singh was arrested for allegedly arranging solved question papers, which had been leaked, for candidates.
The SSP of STF, Navneet Singh Bhullar, said the integrity of the exam is intact. Vehicles and gadgets are prohibited within 200 metres of the exam centre. Police estimate at least 40,000 candidates to show up for the exam at the Dehradun centre.
An FIR has been registered under Section 12(3) of the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment and Remedies) Act, 2023, which deals with the prevention of unfair means in recruitment exams, at Patel Nagar police station. The police have warned that action will be taken against those who spread rumours about the exam through “fake news or disinformation”.
Hakam Singh, who hails from Mori in Uttarkashi, was an independent panchayat member who later joined the BJP. He was expelled from the party after his arrest in 2022. Pankaj Gaur is a resident of Barkot in Uttarkashi.
