Mithilesh Singh is the alleged mastermind behind the recruitment scam and examination by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). The investigators are trying to track Singh, who is missing, and a CID team is trying to investigate his alleged financial transactions, digital records and wider network.
Singh, who is a native of Bhojpur district in Bihar, is said to have been a central member of an organised network involved in examination wrongdoing and he is also a leader of a hierarchical company which is alleged to be involved in examination irregularities in Bihar’s Bhojpur district of Bihar, India. A veteran operator and has a history of recruitment fraud and paper leak cases in multiple states, Singh is said to have been involved with recruitment fraud and paper leak cases in different states, said investigators.
Singh is associated with examination management firms Webel and ICN, which have been blacklisted. Investigators are looking into the role of these companies in the alleged irregularities in major recruitment examinations in Jharkhand.
Because of the magnitude of the alleged fraud and the serious issues that it raises on the security of recruitment examinations, Singh is believed to have constructed a network that could influence different stages of the examination process, the CID investigation continues.
What is the history of alleged examination fraud?
Singh had been involved in recruitment frauds and paper leak cases in Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan and Telangana, the evidence suggests. He had faced legal action in the past for this kind of allegations and was jailed on several occasions, reports indicate.
The investigators say Singh brought an inter-state model of examination fraud to Jharkhand. The CID is investigating whether the methods used in Jharkhand were similar to those previously associated with examination scams in other parts of the country.
The investigators are still investigating Singh’s role in previous cases to determine the full extent of his alleged involvement. It is still under investigation and the allegations against Singh will have to be verified by the investigating agencies and the judicial process.
How the alleged scam operated.
According to the CID investigation, candidates were allegedly charged huge amounts in exchange for assurances about selection in government recruitment examinations. Singh allegedly charged candidates between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 20 lakh to guarantee selection in the JSSC CGL examination and other major recruitment tests.
The alleged operation was not just paper leaks; the paper leaks are the first thing that came to mind.
Investigators are examining whether unauthorised changes were made to the backend software of the examination system. If so, the manipulations would have allowed the scores of the selected candidates to be altered and would have raised serious questions about the integrity of the recruitment process.
The alleged involvement of companies doing sensitive examination-related work has also become an important part of the investigation.
Webel and ICN also handled processes such as OMR sheet processing and question paper printing, the report says. Investigators are now looking into whether or not firms with controversial backgrounds were involved in sensitive aspects of the examination system.
The Tiwari Family Connection
The alleged scale of the recruitment racket was evident through the interrogation of other accused persons.
Investigators say Abhay Tiwari told CID he paid Rs 12 lakh each (for a total of Rs 36 lakh) to secure selections for himself, his brother Akshay Tiwari and wife Sushma Kumari.
The statements will thus be considered in the wider examination of the purported recruitment network.
In Delhi, two ICN employees, Sumansh Prakash and Rahul Kumar, have also been arrested. Investigators are examining their alleged role in the operation.
According to investigators, the employees told investigators they were following instructions from supervisors. The CID wants to identify the chain of command of the alleged network and who was responsible for major decisions.
Investigators are also looking into allegations that Singh handled the most important deals with officials and examination authorities.
Alleged Benami Assets Worth Crores
One of the major areas of investigation is for the alleged proceeds of the recruitment scam.
CID officials are now investigating whether money generated through examination manipulation and paper-leak operations was used to acquire a large portfolio of benami assets.
Preliminary findings have so far pointed to properties and assets worth more than Rs 300 crore allegedly linked to Singh.
These assets are said to include land holdings, luxury homes, apartments, hotels and commercial properties located in various parts of the country.
Investigators are looking for links to properties in Delhi, Patna, Ranchi, Mumbai, Pune, Rajasthan and Haryana. Financial records and ownership documents will be crucial to determine whether the assets were acquired based on proceeds of alleged criminal activities.
CID Continues Search for Singh
Mithilesh Singh is currently absconding and authorities are looking for him.
A CID team is monitoring his financial and digital footprint. Multiple search teams have been sent out in different cities to locate his possible locations and trace people who may have been associated with him.
Bank accounts, property transactions, communication records and digital evidence are expected to be examined as part of the investigation. Authorities will also be trying to determine the entire size of the alleged network and to identify other people who may have played a role in it.
The Jharkhand recruitment scam has once again highlighted the threat of organised examination fraud. Job opportunities are guaranteed from recruitment exams and fraud in recruitment and the manipulation of recruitment can erode public confidence in the whole selection process.
As the CID investigation continues, authorities will be able to get more specific information about the alleged network, financial transactions and examination-related irregularities through the investigation. Mithilesh Singh remains a key part of the investigation and investigators are still trying to find out what his role is in one of Jharkhand’s greatest recruitment scam investigations.
