DSHE staffers involved in recruitment exam's question leak: DB
The question papers were distributed from DSHE to the exam centres around 11:00am on the exam day. The staffers involved with the question leak took photographs of the papers during the time.
Two employees of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) leaked the question paper of the recruitment exam for the post of "office assistant/computer operator".
On Friday, the test was held at 61 centres in Dhaka, aiming to fill 513 vacancies.
The question papers were distributed from DSHE to the exam centres around 11:00am on the exam day.
The staffers involved with the question leak took photographs of the papers during the time.
Police's Detective Branch (DB), the agency investigating the question paper leak, disclosed the information to this correspondent yesterday.
However, detectives did not disclose the names of the involved staffers as the investigation is ongoing.
DB started the investigation after an examinee was arrested during the test from the capital's Eden College centre on Friday.
The arrestee was identified as Md Sumon Jomadder (30) from Patuakhali.
The invigilator of room-2237 at the centre found him answering the MCQs by copying answers written behind his admit card.
Sumon was sent to jail yesterday after a day's remand in the case filed with Lalbagh Police Station regarding the question paper leak, said police.
A DB high official involved with the investigation said that the question paper was later sent to an organised syndicate in Patuakhali on the WhatsApp.
It was solved by three to four individuals. The answers were sent to the examinee who contacted the syndicate.
"The gang has around six members," the official told this correspondent, requesting anonymity.
The syndicate is led by Saiful Islam, a teacher of mathematics at Khepupara Girls Secondary School, he added.
Investigators said the gang distributed the answers to some 10-12 examinees via WhatsApp around 42 minutes before the exam started.
The two staffers involved are also from Patuakhali.
Shahadat Hossain Sumon, DB's additional deputy commissioner, mentioned that they have found some names involved with the question paper leak.
"We have kept some of the suspects under close surveillance, including a school teacher. The gang members went into hiding after the examinee was arrested but we are conducting drives to catch them," he said.
According to officials, several networks have been detected behind the leaks.
"Some of the syndicate's activities were found in capital's Jatrabari, Kishoreganj, Patuakhali and Tangail," said another anonymous DB high official.
The official also said they are yet to know about the actual dealings but have information about an amount of Tk one to two lakh handed over to the gang in advance for the answers.
Contacted, Prof Nehal Ahmed, director general (DG) of DSHE, said, "The exam started at 3:00pm and the papers were distributed to the 61 centres at 11:00am. There was a four-hour gap in between that.
"The Detective Branch will investigate whether anything happened during that time," he added.
Asked if they will investigate the matter themselves, he said, "We do not have that capacity. We are completely depending on the Detective Branch's report in this regard. Once they give us a report, we will take the next course of action."
Asked about the involvement of DSHE staffers in question leak, the DG said, "We have a zero tolerance policy in this regard."
"Since police have found a link, we hope they will be able to find out those involved with the question leak," he added.
"We will take stern action against the perpetrators, no matter who they are," Prof Nehal Ahmed told this correspondent last night.