MPSC Drug Inspector Paper Leak Probe Widens as 3rd, 4th Rankers Face Allegations Over Common Question Set
Mumbai: The investigation into the alleged Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector examination paper leak has widened, with investigators finding that Sajid Sande and Vijay Kingar, who secured third and fourth positions respectively in the provisional merit list, allegedly received the same question set that had earlier been accessed by arrested candidate Rutuja Patil.
According to the Special Investigation Team, 77 questions from the allegedly leaked set appeared in the final Drug Inspector examination. Investigators are examining the exact material allegedly received by Sande and Kingar to determine whether it was the same set accessed by Patil and whether the two candidates used it while preparing for the examination held on March 22.
Sande secured third rank with 184.50 marks, while Kingar stood fourth with 184 marks in the provisional merit list. Both were arrested along with alleged intermediaries Sandeep Khalate and Bhairavnath Kadam, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 11. The latest development follows the earlier arrest of Rutuja Patil, who stood seventh in the provisional merit list. Investigators have alleged that Patil was advised to deliberately answer some questions incorrectly to avoid suspicion after allegedly receiving the advance question set. Police said she answered 10 questions incorrectly.
The latest arrests have widened the investigation into the alleged circulation of confidential examination material before the Drug Inspector examination. Police are examining the phones, chats, financial transactions and answer sheets of Sande and Kingar while also tracing the route through which the question set allegedly reached them. Investigators are attempting to establish whether the same material was supplied to other aspirants and determine how many candidates may have allegedly received it before the examination.
The alleged role of suspended MPSC Under Secretary Abhijit Lendve has also come under increased scrutiny. Crime Branch investigators suspect that Lendve may have supplied the question set to candidates beyond the three already arrested in connection with the Drug Inspector examination. Police are examining Lendve's phone, digital communications, bank accounts and financial transactions to identify other candidates who may have received the separately compiled set before the examination. Investigators are also checking whether different versions of the question material were circulated through intermediaries.
Sources told Mumbai Mirror that Lendve had earlier worked with a police unit on intelligence-related duties. Around 2011-12, he reportedly worked for some time at the Chandan Chowki unit in Andheri West and was exposed to intelligence-gathering work linked to the Anti-Terrorism Squad. He later cleared the Naib Tehsildar examination and was posted in Amravati before returning to work associated with the police department/CID set-up, sources said. Subsequently, he cleared the MPSC Desk Officer examination and eventually rose to the position of Under Secretary at the Commission. Investigators are examining his earlier service records, contacts and financial trail while mapping the alleged network behind the leak.
Lendve, MPSC officials Vishweshwar Nakate and Gopal Marathe, coaching operator Pravin Patil, alleged middlemen Amrit Patil and Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, and Rutuja Patil had been arrested earlier in the case. The investigation is now examining the possible links between the accused and the alleged distribution of confidential examination material.
Meanwhile, Vijay Kingar's examination history is also being examined by investigators. Kingar had appeared for the PSI examination in 2020, the Clerk-Typist preliminary examination in 2023, and the Group-B combined preliminary examination advertised in 2025. His name appeared in qualified-candidate lists for these examinations, indicating that he cleared the qualifying stages. However, the records do not establish that he received a final selection or appointment to a government post.
The Drug Inspector examination, in which Kingar secured fourth rank, is now at the centre of the probe into how questions from an expert pool allegedly left the confidential examination process before the test. Mumbai Mirror reports that investigators are examining the alleged common question set received by Sande and Kingar, the route through which the material allegedly reached them, and whether other aspirants also received it before the examination. The investigation continues as police scrutinise the digital, financial and examination records connected to the case.
