Papers hidden in ₹8,000 shoes: Charge sheet traces Maharashtra TET leak to Agra press

The Thane city police has filed a nearly 3,500-page charge sheet in the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case, alleging that confidential question papers were smuggled from an Agra printing press hidden under the shoe insoles of two employees and circulated through an interstate network allegedly orchestrated by Bijendra Gupta.

The chargesheet lists 18 accused, of whom 16 have been arrested, while two — Ashok Sav and Prakash Misal — remain absconding, ACP Bhiwandi Division Vijay Marathe said. The police traced the leak to the Agra press where the TET papers were printed and cited the recovery of the original question paper in Bihar along with financial and technical evidence to trace the alleged distribution chain.

According to the prosecution, the source of the leak was Mahim Patran Pvt. Ltd., an Agra based printing press where the Maharashtra TET question papers were printed. Investigators say two serving employees and a former press employee removed the confidential documents by hiding them under a shoe liner and bypassing security.

An earlier investigation found that the papers were allegedly removed from the press between June 15 and June 17. The TET had two papers, two sets of each were printed so that one could be randomly selected on the day of the exam. Police say all four sets were smuggled in, effectively defeating the security lock.

Investigators alleged that the press employees involved were paid ₹8,000 each and were also promised land for facilitating the leak.

Police named Gupta as the alleged mastermind of the network, with the remaining accused allegedly playing a role in obtaining and distributing the leaked papers for money. According to Mr. Marathe, Gupta was also involved in an earlier paper leak case in Odisha. Police are looking into his alleged connection to other paper leaks as part of a wider investigation into the network.

The Maharashtra TET leak first came to light in Bhiwandi on June 27, a day before the examination was scheduled to take place.

According to the police, Thane DCP Zone II Pavan Bansod received information that three persons had approached a resident of Bhiwandi with a copy of the TET question paper. The police then laid a trap using bait and arrested three men in Kongaon area.

During the operation, four sets of TET questions were obtained from the accused. Summoned employees of the Department of Education confirmed that the material found corresponds to the papers prepared for the exam.

Following the recovery, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination postponed the TET scheduled for June 28.

In its official notification issued on June 27, the Board said the Bhiwand police conducted the operation after receiving confidential information and asked MSCE officials to verify the seized material. The officials found that the questions in the recovered documents matched the confidential questions of the TET, after which the probe was put on hold.

The Kongaon police station subsequently registered a case in connection with the information leak.

The investigation then expanded beyond the state of Maharashtra as police worked backwards from the four files found in Bhiwandi to determine where the leak occurred and how the papers moved through the alleged interstate network.

The trail eventually led the investigators to the Agra printing house. Police say the confidential documents were removed from the premises by employees and then passed through middlemen linked to Gupta before copies reached people trying to sell them in Maharashtra.

The prosecution cites the recovery of the original TET inquiry in Bihar and the financial trail between the accused as important evidence in establishing the chain of distribution. According to the investigation, the original paper was recovered from the Bihar residence of a relative of Gupta, who was subsequently arrested.

Police also relied on phone records, financial transactions, seized material and other technical evidence to establish links between various members of the alleged extortion ring.

The probe had previously found that the mechanism used on the Agra press was surprisingly simple. Security staff checked employees’ clothing but allegedly did not check their shoes, so the folded question papers could be hidden under shoe insoles and removed from the premises.

Police say the alleged Gupta network relied on cultivating junior employees at the printing presses to obtain confidential test material, rather than necessarily involving senior officials at the printing presses.

As the investigation expanded, police made arrests in several states. Sixteen accused have now been arrested while Sav and Misal are absconding, Mr. Marathe said. The arrested accused continue to remain in judicial custody.

The case was registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy along with the provisions of the Maharashtra laws dealing with investigative malpractice and unfair means.

The filing of the charge sheet marks a major procedural step in the investigation, which began with four sets of leaked papers found during a bait-and-switch in Bhiwandi and eventually led police to the Agra printing press where confidential investigative material was produced.

Further investigations remain open and police said additional charges will be laid after more evidence is gathered.

Published – 18 Sep 2026 21:51 IST