Jilted Lover Blows Whistle on MPSC Paper Leak, 6 Arrested

A bitter personal feud following a broken relationship has reportedly exposed a major recruitment scandal in Maharashtra, leading to the arrest of six individuals including three senior Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) officials and the complete cancellation of the Drug Inspector examination.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested the suspects after an investigation revealed that the question set for the offline examination held on March 22, was leaked to select candidates for a price.

Spurned Lover Triggers Probe

The fraud came to light when Lokesh, alias Gaurav Rajendra Patil, reportedly sent an email to the commission alleging widespread malpractice in the screening test. Gaurav’s former girlfriend, Rutuja Patil, had cleared the examination and figured among the 488 qualified candidates listed in the provisional merit list published on July 22.

According to police sources, Rutuja had reportedly shared details of the leaked paper with Gaurav during their relationship, as his brother had also sat the exam. However, after Rutuja’s family refused to approve their marriage, she broke off the relationship. A bitter Gaurav promptly reported the leak to the MPSC.

Though Gaurav later tried to withdraw his email complaint, Crime Branch investigators had already initiated an inquiry that confirmed the paper leak, eventually resulting in his own arrest alongside the key conspirators.

Modus Operandi and Arrests

Investigators reportedly revealed that the leak originated directly from within the commission's offices. Assistant Section Officer Vishweshwar Dattatraya Nakate allegedly stole the questions from the MPSC office and passed them to Under Secretary Abhijit Lendave. Lendave then routed the material through Assistant Section Officer Gopal Marathe to Pravin Patil, director of Kautilya Coaching Classes.

Pravin Patil sold the question set to Rutuja’s father, Amrut Namdeo Patil, for ₹5 lakh on March 20 two days prior to the test. Forensic analysis established that 77 questions in the leaked set matched the 294 questions on the official examination paper.

All six accused ‘Vishweshwar Nakate, Abhijit Lendave, Gopal Marathe, Pravin Patil, Amrut Patil, and informant Gaurav Patil’ were produced before a Mumbai court on August 26, and remanded to police custody until September 2.

The authorities reportedly invoked provisions under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 2024, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and official misconduct.

Recruitment Process Scrapped

Following initial complaints received between July 22 and 26 alleging that leaked papers had been reportedly circulated on electronic platforms, the MPSC scrapped the entire selection drive for Drug Inspectors under the Food and Drug Administration Department.

The screening test was originally conducted across six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra, with results published on June 12. Out of 506 candidates shortlisted, 488 attended interviews held between July 1 and 22 before the process was halted.

The commission has announced that it will conduct a fresh examination for all eligible applicants.