CBI arrests Palvoi Ashok and Sheik Jilani in Bengaluru railway exam leak case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday announced the arrest of two individuals in Bengaluru in connection with the alleged leak of the General Departmental Competitive Examination (GDCE) 2022 question paper. The examination was conducted for departmental recruitment to the post of goods train manager in the South Western Railway.

The arrested individuals have been identified by the agency as Palvoi Ashok and Sheik Jilani. Following their arrest, both of the accused were produced before a special court in Bengaluru. The court subsequently remanded them to CBI custody for a period of four days to allow for further interrogation by the investigators.

The CBI's action follows an ongoing investigation that was initiated after the South Western Railway administration lodged an official complaint. Based on this complaint, the central agency had originally registered a case against 23 accused individuals. The charges in the original case include criminal conspiracy, cheating, and the receipt of illegal gratification by public servants.

During the course of the investigation, the CBI named Palvoi Ashok and Sheik Jilani as additional accused in the case. Following their inclusion in the probe, the agency conducted search operations and raided the premises of both men in order to gather evidence.

During these raids, the CBI recovered highly incriminating documents and exam-related candidate logs. Additionally, investigators seized electronic equipment, including scanners and printers, which were allegedly used to execute the examination fraud.

According to the CBI, the investigation has uncovered evidence that links the two arrested accused to a conspiracy to leak the question paper. The agency alleges that the conspiracy involved distributing the leaked question paper to select candidates before the actual examination was conducted.