Rajasthan: ED arrests retd professor in REET 2021 paper leak case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has arrested a retired professor in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation into the alleged 2021 question paper leak of the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET).

Dr Pradeep Parasher was taken into custody on Wednesday. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Jaipur sent him to ED custody for three days, it said in a statement.

Parasher, a retired assistant professor, was appointed the district coordinator of the local committee by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) to conduct REET, 2021, which was scheduled to be held at various places in the state on September 26, 2021.

The professor appointed an assistant, Ram Kripal Meena, without any valid order. Meena was given "unauthorised access" to the strong room of Siksha Sankul, Jaipur, wherein the question paper of REET, 2021 was stored, the agency alleged.

Meena "in connivance with" Parashar "stole" the question paper on September 26 night "in a well-planned manner" and circulated the stolen question paper to other accused persons and acquired huge money in return, it said.

Meena was arrested by the ED earlier and a chargesheet has also been filed against him. The money laundering case of ED stems from a Rajasthan Police FIR and chargesheets.

The federal agency had carried out multiple searches in this case last year "resulting in recovery of incriminating documents, digital records and seizure of huge cash."