Police said Gupta was in constant contact with absconding accused Kapil Shrikrishna Dahiya and the three arrested accused, Dhiraj Singh, Akash Kumar and Rajiv Kumar.

Investigators said Dhiraj and Kapil had arrived in Bhiwandi several days before the examination to identify prospective buyers, primarily operators of coaching classes preparing students for the TET.

Acting on a tip off, Thane Police laid a trap after an officer posed as a buyer. Once the accused were convinced they had found a customer, they allegedly contacted Gupta, who sent Rajiv and Akash with four sets of leaked question papers.

Police arrested Dhiraj, Akash and Rajiv at a hotel in Kongaon while they were allegedly attempting to sell the papers. Kapil, who had left for Pune a day earlier in search of another buyer, fled to Delhi after learning about the arrests and has since gone underground. Thane Police has initiated the process of issuing a Look Out Circular against him.

Investigators found that the accused were operating in two separate groups, Dhiraj and Kapil in one, and Akash and Rajiv in another. Police believe the two groups were unaware of each other’s activities and were independently managed by Gupta.

The SIT has sought details from the Education Department on the printing, handling and transportation of question papers and is examining everyone involved in the chain. The Maharashtra State Council of Examination has a long standing contract with Agra based Mahim Patram Private Limited for printing examination papers.

Officials said the leaked papers recovered from the accused carried three different code numbers corresponding to examination centres in Washim, Latur and Jalna. Preliminary findings suggest the leak may have occurred during the printing or transportation stage, although investigators said all angles remain open.

Police said Dhiraj Singh (28), a native of Panipat in Haryana, became the sole earning member of his family after the death of his parents. His cousin alleged that Gupta had promised him a government job and taken money from him. When Dhiraj demanded a refund after failing to secure the job, Gupta allegedly sent him to Mumbai with Kapil, assuring him he would recover the money.

Dhiraj’s lawyer Sitander Redu said, “his client was unaware of the paper leak conspiracy”.
Akash Kumar, a commerce graduate from Patna, is the only son in his family. Rajiv Kumar, also from Patna, holds a Bachelor of Science degree. Police said Kapil Dahiya’s father is a retired armed forces personnel, while Gupta, a native of Samastipur in Bihar who operates from Delhi and Haryana, has allegedly been involved in several cheating cases.

The three arrested accused have been remanded to police custody till July 6.

Police said the gang planned to sell each leaked TET question paper for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh and expected to make nearly Rs 1.5 crore.

The Maharashtra TET examination, scheduled to be held on June 28 at 1,028 centres across the state, was postponed after the leak came to light.