The ED probe stems from a CBI First Information Report and chargesheet.
An alleged kingpin of a paper leak in Jammu and Kashmir is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate to see if he has links to the irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams. Yatin Yadav, the alleged mastermind of the 2022 JKSSB sub-inspector recruitment exam paper leak was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate or ED today as part of a money laundering case.
According to the ED sources, it is being investigated whether Yadav has any connection to the paper leak cases of the key examinations that have hit headlines recently.
The ED probe stems from a CBI First Information Report and chargesheet against Yadav, a suspected tout, and some others. The ED sources claimed that being the "kingpin" of the alleged paper leak gang, Yadav executed a well-crafted plan involving other accused touts based in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir to arrange candidates willing to access the leaked paper against payments ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.
The Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) sub-inspector recruitment exam was held on March 27, 2022.
After the exam, the payments - mainly in cash - collected from the aspirants were routed to Yadav's bank accounts, they said.
The ED had earlier attached Yadav's bank accounts, a company called New Global Fumigation Corporation and assets of some others worth Rs 1 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of its probe.
The arrest comes at a time when allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) have rocked the country, leading to the Centre handing over their investigation to the CBI.
The CBI is looking into the allegations of malpractice in both exams conducted by the National Testing Agency.
The Centre on Saturday replaced NTA Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in NEET-UG to the CBI, which is now probing a total of six cases in the matter. Pradeep Singh Kharola took the additional charge of NTA on Monday and had meetings with officials of the testing body.
The Education Ministry had also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the NTA's functioning.