JOIN USSix more pre-university lecturers were suspended on Saturday in connection with the II PU examination paper leak.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is likely to send a team to Kolkata in a few days to probe whether the leak took place at a printing press in that city.
The CID officers s are of the view that the leak could not have taken place without the connivance of the officials of the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE). Although no further arrests have been made since Thursday when three persons were apprehended in Bangalore, the CID investigators are on the look-out for the kingpin of the racket that has put the credibility of the DPUE at stake.
Meanwhile, the DPUE has launched its own probe into the matter to identify the “black sheep”. Although Rashmi V Mahesh, Commissioner, DPUE, refused to confirm the development, a credible source said the DPUE probe was very much on.
The lecturers were suspended after the DPUE inquiry indicted them. The number of lecturers suspended so far has gone up to 20 as 14 government PU lecturers had been suspended on Wednesday. The DPUE inquiry, however, has not been able to fix the blame on any of its officials even though some of them continue to be under the scanner.
The leakage is most likely the handiwork of a “single gang”, sources said.
The two persons, arrested in Chintamani on Tuesday evening in connection with the leakage of Mathematics paper, knew that the Physics paper would be leaked as well. A senior police official said the suspects, V Venkatesh and Pradeep, were expecting to get the copies of the leaked Physics paper on Wednesday afternoon. Timely action by the police, however, spoilt their plans.
The Central Crime Branch of Bangalore City police is yet to trace those named by the three suspects — Ashwath Narayana Gowda, Sudarshan, and Naveen.
B Dayanand, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), said efforts to track down Ajay Kumar, Puttaraj alias Naveen Kumar, and Shashikala had come to nought so far. Eager to complete the examinations, the II PU Science students were on Saturday busy preparing for the big Physics paper rescheduled for Tuesday, March 27. The Optional Kannada, Statistics, and Home Science exams scheduled for Saturday went off without any hassles, barring one debarment. A student of Vivekananda PU College, Rajajinagar, was debarred for copying in the Statistics paper, the DPUE said. There was no other complaint.