MPSC drug inspector paper leak: SIT arrests ASO Rohit Koltakke, total accused reaches 13

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the paper leak in the drug inspector examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) arrested an assistant section officer (ASO) on Friday, taking the total number of those held in the case to 13, an official said. MPSC ASO Rohit Koltakke, who was held during the day, allegedly obtained the confidential question sets from previously arrested MPSC under secretary Abhijit Lendve, he added.

Before him, Mayur Thakare, an intermediary accused of facilitating the illicit acquisition of question sets for candidates, was nabbed on October 12, the official said. The case stems from a screening examination conducted by the MPSC on March 22 at six centres across the state to fill 154 posts of 'Drug Inspector, Group-B' under the Food and Drug Administration. Subsequent inquiries revealed that question paper sets were illicitly extracted from the MPSC's 'Confidential Section' and exchanged for financial gain, compromising the integrity of the selection process, the official said.

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Apart from Lendve, Koltakke and Thakare, others held include ASOs Vishweshwar Nakate and Gopal Marathe; Pravin Patil, Director of Kautilya Academy; intermediaries Amrut Patil, Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, Sandip Khalate, and Bhairavnath Kadam; as well as examination candidates Rutuja Patil, Sajid Sande, and Vijay Kingar. Further investigation is underway to track additional financial transactions, identify other potential beneficiaries, and determine the complete extent of the racket, the official said.