West Bengal Police have busted an alleged scam linked to the police constable recruitment exam held on Sunday, arresting 10 people. According to the police, the gang was allegedly operating a racket, luring aspiring candidates with the promise of securing a constable’s job in exchange for money.

Despite strict security arrangements in place for the exam, the gang attempted to leak the question papers, said police.

The matter came to the fore after the Bengal Police Recruitment Board received a tip-off about a gang being involved in the alleged scam. The police learnt that the gang members were traveling from Naihati to Bardhaman on the Purvanchal Express.

Based on this information, officers from Bardhaman Police Station and Railway Police jointly raided the Bardhaman railway station complex early Sunday morning at 4:55am and managed to arrest three persons.

“Interrogation of the three accused led the police to the second location in the Kalmandanga jungle (Budbud), where their other seven associates were arrested,” said an official.

The accused, who were responsible for distributing the question papers, were sitting in a temporary set up, said sources.

When police arrived, many of them escaped from the spot but the cops managed to arrest seven persons.

The police identified the accused as Surajit Adhikari, Sanju Sarkar, Koushik Chakraborty (aka Gullu), Koushik Ghosh, Rakesh Ghosh, Sujit Pramanik, Dibyendu Mahato, Radhakanta Karmakar, Karunamoy Mahato, and Abhishek Mahato.

“During the search, police recovered several mobile phones and fake question papers from the accused,” said an official.

A case has been registered in connection with the matter under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 318(4) (cheating), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 111(2), (6) (organised crime), and 112(2) (organised crime). The arrested individuals were later produced before the Bardhaman court, said the police.