A private tutor based in Malda, who is suspected to be the kingpin of a racket involved in leaking Madhyamik question papers, was arrested on Tuesday night.

Jiban Das, who runs a private coaching centre at Balutola under the jurisdiction of Manikchak police station, was picked up by police on Tuesday. He was held as part of a probe by the police after question papers of the ongoing Madhyamik exams had leaked from a centre in the district.

Police sources said on Saturday, the English question paper had leaked from Enayetpur High School. It was circulated on social media and soon, invigilators could track down seven examinees to the school where they were carrying cellphones.

The police detained them and during interrogation, they revealed that they had clicked photos of the question paper and posted them in a WhatsApp group.

“Their cellphones were seized and they were barred from appearing in the exam. We found that Jiban Das is the admin of the WhatsApp group. That is why he has been arrested,” said a police officer.

As Das was arrested, some school students and their parents in Balutola resorted to demonstrations.

They blocked the state highway that connects Manikchak, demanding Das’ release. The police dispersed
the agitators and cleared the road.

“The private tutor was produced in a court on Wednesday. The court has sent him to police custody for seven days. We will interrogate him to know his role in the leaking of question papers and whether he has any associates,” said an officer of Manikchak police station.

After the leak, representatives of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) had expressed suspicion as to whether a racket was leaking the question papers in a planned manner to malign the board.