Jaipur: Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police Thursday arrested three govt officials in connection with the 2021 Sub-Inspector recruitment examination paper leak case, further unravelling a complex web of corruption in the recruitment process.The arrests include two assistant accounts officers (AAOs)—Purushottam Dadhich (35) and Sandeep Kumar Lata (43)— and a Grade III teacher, Kundan Kumar Pandya (54), as confirmed by DIG (SOG) Paris Deshmukh.Dadhich, a resident of Didwana-Kuchaman, was already placed under suspension by the medical and health department in Udaipur where he was serving, while Lata, a resident of Sikar, was posted at the treasury and accounts department in Jaipur. Pandya was posted at a govt primary school in Palwada, Dungarpur.The TOI reported on Jan 5 that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) mentioned in its report that Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Babu Lal Katara, who was arrested in the same case, allegedly handed over six sets of the 2021 SI exam question papers to commission colleague Ramu Ram Raika. These were later leaked to Dadhich also, who allegedly circulated them for profit nearly a month before the exam.Investigators believe that Katara’s association with Dadhich during the former’s posting in Udaipur facilitated the leak. The investigation has revealed a broader conspiracy than initially suspected. Earlier findings suggested that RPSC member Katara leaked the papers only to benefit his colleague Raika’s children—Devesh and Shobha—both of whom were arrested while undergoing SI training in Jaipur. However, recent developments indicate a commercial operation where question papers reached Dadhich and the same were sold to multiple candidates.According to the SIT, Dadhich received Hindi and General Knowledge papers weeks before the Sept 2021 examination and collaborated with Lata and Pandya to distribute them to select candidates in exchange for money.Dadhich’s role emerged last year following the arrest of trainee sub-inspectors identified as Renu, Surendra Bagadia and Surjeet, who got the exam paper beforehand. However, when the police arrested the trio, Dadhich went underground.
