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The investigation into the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 paper leak has gathered pace after a court in Bhiwandi sent two more accused to police custody. The fresh arrests have taken the total number of people held in the case to 14, while investigators continue to track the wider network behind the alleged paper leak.
Two accused sent to police custody
A Bhiwandi court on Saturday remanded Vijendra Gupta and Indrajeet Singh to police custody until July 30. The two were produced before the court after being arrested for their alleged role in the TET 2026 paper leak case.
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According to the investigation, both men are suspected of being involved in selling the leaked examination paper, either directly or indirectly. Police believe digital evidence played a key role in tracing them.
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Call records and WhatsApp chats helped police
Defence lawyer Shailesh Gaikwad, who represented the accused in court, said investigators relied on call detail records (CDRs), mobile location data and WhatsApp conversations to link the two men to the case.
He said 12 people had already been arrested before the latest action, and the court granted five days of police custody after examining the evidence presented by investigators.
Gaikwad also stated that Vijendra Gupta has an earlier cheating case registered against him under Section 420 in Odisha. However, the current police custody has been granted based on evidence related to the ongoing TET paper leak investigation.
Prime accused brought to Maharashtra from Bihar
Earlier, Maharashtra Police arrested the alleged mastermind of the paper leak case from Patna, Bihar.
The main accused has been identified as Bijendra Kumar Baleshwar Shah. He was arrested along with his associate, Indrajeet Singh, also known as Piku. After their arrest, both were brought to Bhiwandi for further investigation.
The two accused were taken to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-2 in Bhiwandi, where officials have been questioning them to gather more information about the alleged racket.
Police said Bijendra Kumar had been on the run for nearly a month before he was finally traced and arrested.
Probe now focused on entire leak network
With the latest arrests, the number of accused in the case has increased to 14.
Investigators say the focus has now shifted from individual arrests to uncovering the complete network behind the alleged paper leak. Police are trying to identify everyone involved, understand how the question paper was leaked, and determine the specific role played by each accused.
Officials believe more people could have been connected to the operation, and the investigation is continuing on multiple fronts.
TET examination was postponed after leak alert
The Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) had postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test, which was scheduled to take place on June 28 across the state.
The decision came after information about an alleged question paper leak emerged during a police investigation in Bhiwandi. The examination was planned to be conducted at 1,028 centres across Maharashtra.
In a public notice, the MSCE said it had already strengthened security arrangements following irregularities reported during the NEET examination. However, early on the day of the exam, the Council received confidential information suggesting that certain individuals in Bhiwandi were allegedly in possession of details related to the TET question paper.
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