The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the alleged leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exam paper widened its probe on Sunday, dispatching four teams to several states to unearth what is being believed to be an organised interstate examination racket. 

Sources familiar with the probe said that one SIT team has been sent to West Bengal, while the remaining three teams have been sent to Bihar, Haryana and Delhi respectively. The coordinated operation is aimed at identifying the wider network allegedly involved in leaking exam papers and facilitating illegal transactions across state borders.

Notably, the SIT was formed and the probe deepened after Thane Police on June 25, 2026, received an anonymous tip-off claiming that an interstate syndicate had been involved in selling leaked Maharashtra TET exam papers.

Police’s covert operation leads to arrests

Acting on the tip-off, the cops launched a carefully planned covert operation. They posed as decoy customers interested in purchasing the leaked TET question paper and maintained surveillance on the suspects for two days. 

During the operation, the cops who went undercover negotiated a deal with the accused, offering a huge sum of money for accessing the examination paper. When the suspects arrived at the location to complete the transaction, the police conducted a raid and nabbed three persons on the spot. 

As per police sources, four accused had travelled from Delhi to Thane to finalise the alleged deal. While three of them fell into the police dragnet, efforts are underway to trace and arrest the fourth accused, who is still at large. 

The arrested accused have been identified as Rajeev Kumar, a BSc graduate, Akash Kumar, a BCom degree holder and Dheeraj Kumar, a BA graduate. 

TET exam deferred to protect integrity

The Maharashtra State Examination Council (MSCE), upon learning on Saturday that the TET paper had been leaked, issued an official notice, announcing that the exam was postponed. It was scheduled to be held on June 28 at 1,028 centres across the state, but was deferred to safeguard the integrity of the recruitment process. 

Until now, the MSCE has not announced a revised examination date.