JKSSB SI paper leak: ED arrests key absconding accused, gets 5-day remand

Jammu, Jul 11 (PTI) Nearly three weeks the alleged mastermind of the 2022 JKSSB Sub-inspector recruitment exam paper leak case was arrested, the Enforcement Directorate nabbed an absconding key accused and secured his five-day custody from a special court here, officials said Thursday.

Anil Kumar (31), a resident of Lahroda in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, was arrested by the ED, Jammu, on Wednesday under criminal sections of the prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.

They said he was produced in the court of anti-corruption (CBI-ED cases) special judge, Jammu, this afternoon and was sent to five-day custody.

They said the ED investigation revealed that Kumar is one of the prime orchestrators and beneficiary of proceeds of crime in the form of money collected from aspirants.

On June 24, the ED arrested alleged ‘kingpin’ Yatin Yadav (43), also a resident of Haryana, after a long hunt. The agency also attached movable properties in the form of bank balances to the tune of Rs 1 crore under the provisions of the PMLA.

The Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) sub-inspector recruitment exam was held on March 27, 2022 but the selected list of 1,200 candidates was cancelled by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in July following allegations of paper leak and malpractice. It had also cancelled the list of 1,300 junior engineers and 1,000 finance account assistants

The CBI, which was handed over the case, filed a chargesheet against 33 accused including alleged mastermind Yadav on November 12, 2022. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case stems from the CBI FIR.

The officials said Kumar conspired with the other accused persons to arrange for candidates willing to access the leaked paper against monetary payments ranging from Rs 15 Lakh to Rs 30 Lakh.

Post examination, the payments were collected mainly via cash and via bank account transfers from the aspirants routed to the accused persons, they said, adding the scrutiny of the suspected bank accounts showed that the chain of transactions had been used to route cash deposits, and other funds into the bank accounts related to Kumar.

The funds were also routed into a proprietorship firm, M/s New Global Fumigation Corporation, and were dissipated through smaller transactions, they said.

The ED had sought seven-day remand of Kumar in its plea filed through its special public prosecutor Ashwani Khajuria in the court of special judge Bala Jyoti.

“From perusal of case diaries and entire material on record, it transpires that since the accused was arrested on July 10 and investigation of the case is at initial stage, as such he is remanded to ED custody for a period of five days,” the judge said in her two-page order.