TET paper leak mastermind is same man who made explosive claims in 2024 sting

The spectre of paper leaks returned to haunt India's examination system on Saturday after the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper was allegedly leaked a day before the examination.

The Mumbai Police have so far arrested three people in connection with the leak and recovered four sets of question papers during a trap operation in the Kongaon area of Thane district. During interrogation, the three accused allegedly identified Bihar-based Bijendra Gupta as the mastermind behind the operation.

Gupta, a resident of Samastipur in Bihar, is no stranger to allegations surrounding examination paper leaks. He has allegedly been linked to multiple such cases and has evaded arrest on several occasions.

Even as the Maharashtra Police search for him, an India Today sting operation conducted in 2024 after the alleged NEET-UG paper leak has once again come into focus.

THE 2024 STING OPERATION REVISITED

Following the NEET-UG paper leak in 2024, India Today conducted a sting operation in Patna in which Gupta spoke at length about the workings of the paper leak network and made a series of startling claims.

Claiming to have spent over 25 years in the paper leak business, Gupta alleged that he had been involved in leaks related to the 2023 Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) examination, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) and the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) examinations.

During the sting, Gupta claimed that Sanjeev Mukhiya, the key accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case, would never be caught. He also alleged that around 700 students had benefited from the leak and that the racket was expected to generate between Rs 200 crore and Rs 300 crore. Mukhiya was eventually arrested in April 2025.

Explaining how question papers are allegedly leaked, Gupta claimed that sealed boxes are often tampered with while being transported to examination centres. He also alleged that blacklisted companies continue to secure transportation contracts.

"Multiple methods are adopted for the leak. For example, connecting with government strongmen and the printing press, among others," Gupta had said during the India Today sting.

Asked how the NEET-UG paper had allegedly reached hundreds of students, Gupta claimed the leak took place during the distribution process.

"There were 300 kids in Delhi and Patna and in some other places as well. Teams were sent to three or four locations. The paper leak happened from there," he had alleged.

Perhaps his most chilling claim during the sting was that paper leaks would never stop. "We'll go to jail, get bail, and the game will continue," Gupta had said.

THE MAHARASHTRA TET PAPER LEAK

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has postponed TET 2026, which was scheduled to be held on June 28, following a possible question paper leak. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.

Officials said the Education Department is currently verifying whether the recovered material is the actual TET question paper or merely a mock test paper. The next course of action will depend on the outcome of the verification.

Officials added that if the recovered papers are found to match the actual examination questions, the government may consider cancelling the examination altogether. In that event, police action against those involved is also expected to be intensified.

According to officials, the matter came to light after police conducted a raid in Bhiwandi on the morning of June 27 based on confidential inputs. During the operation, they recovered four sets of TET question papers along with several debit and credit cards from the accused.

The arrested men — Akash, Rajiv and Dheeraj — had travelled from Delhi. One of them is a resident of Haryana, while the other two are from Bihar.

Preliminary investigation reportedly found that some of the questions recovered from the accused matched those prepared for the TET 2026 examination. Investigators also believe the papers were brought from Delhi, with the accused allegedly demanding around Rs 1.5 crore in exchange for the leaked question papers.

- Ends