Rajmohan Prasad, an accused in the Odisha SSC paper leak case, was arrested late Friday night. The Odisha Crime Branch team, in collaboration with the local police, apprehended him in Samastipur, Bihar. He was captured from Khanpur North village in the Khanpur police station area. Rajmohan, the son of the late Indramohan Prasad, was presented in court on Saturday. Afterward, Odisha police took him on transit remand. According to authorities, Rajmohan is linked to several major paper leak scandals across the country, including the Odisha SSC paper leak of 2023, NEET, Daroga recruitment exams, and the BPSC teacher recruitment exam. He has had deep ties with Vikal Kumar Chaurasia, a key figure in these scams, and has been involved in such illegal activities for the past 10-15 years.
Connection with Other Major Scams and Criminal Network
Police investigations revealed that Rajmohan Prasad was connected to numerous paper leak cases, including those of the Odisha SSC, NEET, Daroga Recruitment Exam, and BPSC Teacher Recruitment Exam. His involvement with Vishal Kumar Chaurasia, a prominent figure in the paper leak business, has been significant. The Odisha Crime Branch’s Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vikas Ranjan Beura confirmed that, as of now, a total of 27 arrests have been made in the case.
In the Odisha SSC paper leak case, the Balasore police of Odisha have arrested 27 fraudsters so far. This operation was orchestrated by Vijender Gupta, a resident of Vidyapathinagar in Samastipur, and Vishal Chaurasia, a Divisional Accountant in the Rural Development Department. The two were allegedly aided by Virendra Paswan, who worked at a printing press in Kolkata and provided the printed question papers for the Odisha SSC exams. Rajmohan Prasad is related to Vijender Gupta through marriage; he is Gupta’s brother-in-law.
Vijender Gupta has been previously implicated in the BPSC Teacher Recruitment Exam and NEET paper leak scams as well. His involvement in the illegal paper setting business has made him notorious. Gupta, who married Rajmohan’s sister, became a significant figure in this criminal operation. In 2023, Odisha police arrested Gupta, Chaurasia, and several other culprits involved in the Odisha SSC paper leak. Currently, Vijender is out on bail. Sources confirm that he visited his in-laws’ house in Khanpur a few days ago, but had left before the police raided the location. Rajmohan, however, was arrested during the raid.
Efforts by the Economic Offenses Unit to Locate Rajmohan
The Bihar Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) was also actively searching for Rajmohan in connection with the BPSC teacher recruitment paper leak case. According to the ASP, this investigation has uncovered a vast network of paper leaks and solver rackets operating across Odisha, Bihar, and other states. This network has been involved in manipulating recruitment exams in several regions. The Odisha Crime Branch is now examining Rajmohan’s network, financial transactions, and his connections with other states to gather more information. A case has already been filed at the Balasore police station in Odisha concerning the SSC paper leak.
How the Paper Leak Network Operated
The investigation into the Odisha SSC paper leak has revealed a sophisticated operation, where data about candidates was procured through online platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp groups. According to ASP Vikas Ranjan Beura, it was discovered that teachers involved in the scam had obtained candidate data from online study groups on Telegram and WhatsApp. Additionally, data was bought from manpower consultancy services.
The fraudsters targeted students by contacting them directly and gaining their trust. Once a deal was struck, they would make arrangements to ensure that candidates had access to the exam papers and answers before the actual exam. Deals were typically made for amounts ranging from 20 to 25 lakh rupees, with initial payments of 10 lakh rupees and the balance to be paid after the exam results. Before the candidates received the exam papers, the fraudsters would hold their original documents and blank cheques. This was done to ensure that candidates could not back out of the deal. The original documents were required during the document verification process when the candidates joined the job. However, before this stage, the fraudsters would take the full payment.
The Growing Problem of Paper Leaks in India
This series of arrests and investigations highlights the growing problem of paper leaks in India, particularly in relation to recruitment exams. These leaks not only affect the credibility of examinations but also deprive deserving candidates of opportunities based on merit. The scam involves various layers of corruption, from data theft and manipulation to the sale of exam papers. It has become a serious issue for authorities, as it undermines the integrity of the examination system and affects the recruitment process for key government jobs.
The Odisha Crime Branch’s efforts to track and arrest the key players in this scam, including Rajmohan, are part of a broader initiative to tackle the paper leak menace across India. The government has been under increasing pressure to tighten security and ensure that such frauds are prevented in the future. Authorities are focusing on cracking down on these illegal networks and improving the transparency of the examination process.
Implications and Next Steps
As the investigation into the Odisha SSC paper leak case continues, it is likely that more arrests will follow. The police are actively working to dismantle the entire network involved in these illegal activities. By focusing on the financial transactions and the connections of key figures like Rajmohan, the authorities hope to uncover more details of how these paper leak operations function.
The crackdown on paper leaks is a step in the right direction to ensure that recruitment exams in India are conducted fairly. However, this case also highlights the need for better security measures and more stringent monitoring of exam processes to prevent such scams in the future. The Odisha police, along with other state and national agencies, are working to ensure that justice is served and that the integrity of the examination system is restored.
the arrest of Rajmohan Prasad and the ongoing investigation into the paper leak cases are crucial steps in addressing the issue of exam fraud in India. As the authorities continue to uncover the details of this massive scam, it is expected that more arrests will be made, and further actions will be taken to protect the examination process and ensure fairness in recruitment for public sector jobs.
