The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case arrested three more suspects on Thursday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven. The latest accused were apprehended from Bihar and Haryana and are believed to be closely linked to the alleged interstate examination racket.
The Maharashtra TET 2026 examination, which was scheduled to be held on June 28, was postponed just a day before the test after police recovered four sets of leaked question papers during a raid in Bhiwandi, Thane district. The leak affected nearly six lakh candidates across the state and triggered widespread outrage.
Investigators suspect that the operation was part of a larger interstate syndicate involved in leaking examination papers and selling them to candidates. Police earlier claimed that the leaked papers were allegedly being offered for around ₹1.5 crore. The SIT is now tracing the money trail and trying to identify the main mastermind, who remains absconding.
According to officials, one of the newly arrested men is considered a key aide of the alleged kingpin behind the scam. The accused were produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody until July 9 to facilitate further interrogation and investigation.
The Maharashtra government had constituted the SIT soon after the leak came to light, with teams sent to multiple states to uncover the full network behind the operation. Authorities are also examining how the question papers were leaked from the printing stage and whether insiders were involved.
The scandal has reignited concerns over the security of competitive examinations in India, coming just weeks after controversies surrounding other national-level exam paper leaks. With the probe expanding, more arrests are expected in the coming days as investigators attempt to dismantle the entire network responsible for the breach.
