EOU will recommend property attachments of accused involved in paper leak: Bihar ADGP

Patna (The Uttam Hindu): Bihar Police ADGP Kundan Krishnan said on Monday that the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) of the state police will recommend property attachments of the accused involved in the paper leak. “Since 2012, the EOU has taken significant action, having cracked 10 cases, arrested 545 individuals, and filed charge sheets against 249 accused. A model act has been implemented in the state, imposing stringent penalties on offenders. This has been applied, for instance, in the CHO (Community Health Officer) examination rigging case, where computer servers of examination centres and service providers were compromised,” the ADGP said.

He added that the EOU will now provide consultancy services to departments conducting competitive examinations, ensuring the integrity of computer-based testing. “The EOU is building a data bank of organised gangs operating in Bihar and neighbouring states over the past 12 years. The idea is to identify key operatives involved in examination fraud. Following that, the EOU, with support from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), intends to attach assets of those accused, gained through fraudulent activities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” he said. He also appealed to the citizens to report paper leaks or other offences through designated phone and WhatsApp numbers managed by the EOU. “A special cell, led by an SP-rank officer, is dedicated to addressing complaints, including tackling rumour-mongering and investigating fake news,” he said.

Addressing concerns regarding the 70th Preliminary Test (PT) examination of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), the ADGP clarified that no evidence has been found so far to establish that the examination paper was leaked. “The incident causing a disturbance was isolated to one centre only and the district police along with the civil administration are competent to handle the situation,” he said. He also reassured candidates of the government’s vigilance against examination malpractice. “I want to assure candidates that incidents of paper leaks in the past have been taken seriously, and the Bihar Police and EOU are alert to prevent such occurrences in the future,” he said.