The test was being held to fill up 2,284 vacant posts of contract staff nurses. (Representational image)
The second of a two-part exam to recruit contract nurses under the National Health Mission in Madhya Pradesh was cancelled hours before it started on Tuesday, after the question paper was found to have been leaked. Eight persons caught carrying copies of the question paper have been arrested, the police said.
This is suspected to be part of a big racket. The mastermind had got the question paper leaked through the company tasked with holding the exam across the state, the police said.
Three of the arrested men are from Gwalior, two each from Prayagraj and Haryana, and one from Bihar. The mastermind, a resident of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, is on the run, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
The first round of the examination took place this morning. The one due to begin at 3.30 pm was cancelled. The test was being held to fill up 2,284 vacant posts of contract staff nurses under the National Health Mission. About 45,000 candidates were appearing for the test.
Following a tip-off on Monday night, the police raided a hotel in Tekanpur area on the outskirts of Gwalior district, sources said. Copies of the exam paper were found from eight persons who were inside.
Original documents of 80 candidates were also found with them, reported PTI, quoting Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi. As many as 39 mobile phones were also seized. The gang charged about Rs 2 to 3 lakh for question papers, he said.
A police case has been filed against the men, accusing them of cheating. They have also been charged under the Madhya Pradesh Recognised Examination Act and Information Technology Act, PTI reported.
Madhya Pradesh is still feeling the aftershocks of the Vyapam scam -- the multi-crore medical entrance and recruitment scam involving politicians, senior officials and businessmen. The rigging of exams, which started in 1995 and was exposed in 2013, is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which took over the case in 2015 after a Supreme Court order.
The agency has so far chargesheeted more than 650 people, including the chairmen of three medical colleges.