Uttarakhand SSSC paper leak case: Panchayat member Hakam Singh detained

Dehradun (Uttrakhand) [India] August 14 (ANI): Amid the ongoing action taken against those involved in the state Subordinate Services Selection Commission paper leak case, Special Task Force (STF) detained a suspected district Panchayat member in connection with the issue, informed officials on Saturday.
The suspect has been identified as Hakam Singh.
"Suspected District Panchayat member Hakam Singh has been detained by STF in connection with the Uttarakhand Subordinate Selection Commission exam paper leak case. He has been detained by the STF from Arakot on the Himachal border for questioning," said Ajay Singh, SSP, Uttarakhand STF.
Notably, the Uttarakhand government removed the secretary of the commission, Santosh Badoni on Sunday.
According to the information received from the Secretariat, PCS officer Shalini Negi has been made the Controller of Examinations and Surender Rawat, Joint Secretary, Secretariat Services, has been made secretary in the commission.
After the disclosure of irregularities in the recruitment of various examinations of the Subordinate Commission, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had instructed for strict action, after which the Special Task Force has so far arrested 18 accused.
"An 18th accused arrested. We're following all leads, finding witnesses as to how paper was circulated. More arrests possible in near future. We also appeal to students who used leaked papers to sit for the test to come forward," Singh added.
Earlier this month, Senior Superintendent of Police of STF, Uttarakhand, Ajay Singh said that it has arrested Gaurav Chauhan, Additional Private Secretary working in Public Works and Forest Department of state Secretariat in connection with the USSSC paper leak case.
Chauhan was summoned for questioning in connection with the matter on August 10 and was later arrested.
"The investigation in the UKSSSC paper leak case has now reached the Uttarakhand Secretariat after Printing Press Lucknow and Recruitment Commission," the SSP said.
"On the basis of thorough interrogation of the accused and other students arrested earlier and in strong evidence, information was given from Manoj Joshi (court employee) and accused Tushar Chauhan regarding the exam question paper leak," he added.
Singh further informed that the deal was struck by the accused with two candidates for Rs 15 lakhs each, out of which Rs 24 lakhs were obtained by the accused through the candidate after the results of the examination.
"The balance was paid to others before the examination. The above arrest has been made on the basis of interrogation and available evidence and electronic evidence," he said.
A Special Task Force (STF) had been constituted to investigate alleged irregularities, according to sources.
The Dehradun Police had registered a case against unidentified persons in the case of alleged rigging in the graduation level recruitment examination.
After the registration of the case, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) handed over the investigation of the matter to the STF.
The probe was ordered by state director general of police Ashok Kumar on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
The UKSSSC conducted a written exam on December 4 and 5 last year (2021). This was the biggest examination of the commission for 854 posts, in which 13 categories of posts of different departments were to be filled. (ANI)