MUMBAI: “Get 10 questions wrong” — this was allegedly the instruction given to Rutuja Patil after she got access to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) Drug Inspector exam paper in advance, in an apparent attempt to ensure her performance did not arouse suspicion, according to the Mumbai Crime Branch.Investigators have recovered WhatsApp chats that allegedly show Rutuja was told to deliberately answer 10 questions incorrectly after receiving the leaked material. The suspected reasoning was that getting every question right in a difficult examination could raise questions about how she had performed so well.The Crime Branch said the leaked material contained 294 questions, of which 77 matched questions in the actual MPSC Drug Inspector examination paper.The chats are among the key pieces of evidence being examined in the paper-leak probe, which has so far led to the arrest of six people. Rutuja remains absconding.
WhatsApp chat claims Rs 50 lakh payment
Investigators have also recovered a WhatsApp conversation in which Rutuja allegedly told a female friend that she had received the Drug Inspector examination paper in advance and paid Rs 50 lakh for it.According to the transcript, when her friend asked how she had managed to prepare for the difficult examination, Rutuja allegedly replied, “I didn’t study,” followed by a smiley.When asked how she had managed to take the exam, she allegedly said she had received the question paper in advance. She then warned her friend not to disclose the information, including to colleagues at her workplace.The conversation ends with the alleged statement that she had paid Rs 50 lakh for the Drug Inspector exam.The Crime Branch is now examining whether the payment was actually made, who allegedly arranged it and who may have benefited from the money.
Boyfriend allegedly asked to arrange Rs 5 lakh
The investigation has also brought Rutuja’s relationship with Lokesh alias Gaurav Rajendra Patil into focus.According to police, Gaurav was in a relationship with Rutuja, who was preparing for the Drug Inspector examination. Investigators allege that Gaurav obtained questions from the examination paper before the March 22 test and shared them with Rutuja to help her clear the examination.Rutuja subsequently cleared the exam, police said.The Crime Branch has alleged that Rutuja asked Gaurav to arrange Rs 5 lakh for payment to officials in connection with obtaining the question paper. Gaurav allegedly refused, citing financial constraints. Police said Rutuja’s father, Amrit Patil, subsequently arranged the money.The relationship between Rutuja and Gaurav later turned sour. Following their breakup, Gaurav allegedly approached the MPSC and informed the commission about the suspected paper leak, according to investigators.His disclosure eventually set the investigation in motion.
Probe points to one candidate
Crime Branch officials said the investigation so far had not indicated a mass leak of the examination paper.“The inquiry commission found only one candidate had received the question set and benefited from it,” DCP (Crime) Raj Tilak Roshan said.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also said on Thursday that, according to the police investigation, the paper had not been leaked to a large number of candidates but had reached one individual.Despite this, the MPSC scrapped the entire recruitment process as a precautionary measure.Roshan said questions were illegally obtained from a question set prepared by experts. A separate question paper was allegedly prepared using the leaked questions and circulated among other people, he said.The probe is now focused on how the original question set was accessed, how the leaked questions were circulated and whether candidates were asked to pay for the material.
Six arrested, Rutuja on the run
The Crime Branch has arrested six people in connection with the case: Gaurav Patil; MPSC assistant cell officer Vishweshwar Nakate; MPSC under secretary Abhijit Lendve; MPSC assistant cell officer Gopal Marathe; Kautilya Academy director Pravin Patil; and Amrit Patil, Rutuja’s father.Rutuja remains absconding.The complaint registered by Crime Branch inspector Mangesh Desai alleges that academy director Pravin Patil obtained the paper through Mayur Thackeray, who is also under the scanner, and handed a photocopy of it to Rutuja’s father at Pathardi Phata in Nashik.The complaint further alleges that three MPSC officials received financial benefits.Crime Branch teams have searched the residences of the accused in Nandurbar and are scrutinising their bank transactions and digital communications.
Fadnavis warns no one will be spared
Fadnavis on Thursday said no one would be spared in the case, irrespective of their identity or political affiliation.“Stern action is happening and it will happen,” he said.He said the state government had constituted a committee to recommend reforms in the conduct of examinations and that the MPSC had also been asked to undertake internal reforms.The chief minister also accused opposition leaders of trying to politicise the issue, referring to NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.Fadnavis cited BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban’s allegation that accused Sunil Gadhave was associated with Pawar. Ban had alleged that Gadhave was a close associate of the NCP (SP) MLA.Pawar hit back at Fadnavis on X, saying it was inappropriate for the chief minister to bring politics into a serious examination-leak case. He also alleged that if the government wanted to show photographs linking Gadhave to political leaders, he could produce “thousands” of photographs of Gadhave with BJP leaders.
