Question paper leak: Crime Branch to secure custody of Mohammed Shuhaib

Crime Branch investigates question paper leak, focusing on financial gains, bank accounts, and other suspected individuals and institutions involved.

The Crime Branch (CB) squad investigating the controversial question paper leak will move the court on March 10 to secure the custody of Mohammed Shuhaib, the prime accused in the case who was remanded in judicial custody by the Thamarassery Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on March 6.

CB sources said Mr. Shuhaib had confessed to the crime in the first phase of interrogation after surrendering before the special squad and the role of other suspected institutions in the training field would be checked after securing his custody.

A Senior Crime Branch officer said the details of financial gains enjoyed by the suspects in the case would be investigated in detail in the next phase of the probe. Custody application would be moved for Abdul Nazar, a private school employee who was recently arrested from Malappuram in connection with the incident, he added.

The Crime Branch squad had earlier frozen the bank accounts of Mr. Shuhaib who was the Chief Executive Officer of the Koduvally-based M.S. Solutions involved in the controversy. Details of several other bank accounts had also been gathered to cross check the transactions and the sources of income.

According to Crime Branch officers, Shuhaib was found repeating his earlier statements that many others were also responsible for the leaking of question papers. However, he was found reluctant to reveal the names of any other suspected persons or institutes.  

It was on December 20 that the CB squad registered a case against Mr. Shuhaib, the Chief Executive officer of M.S.Solutions, after a four-day preliminary investigation into the incident. The First Information Report was registered on the basis of a set of digital evidence that reportedly confirmed that the trainers at the institute accessed the leaked question papers for their students’ online coaching. 

The five-member Crime Branch (CB) squad led by Superintendent of Police K.K. Moideenkutty initiated a comprehensive probe into the incident based on the complaint filed by the Director General of Education to the State Police Chief about the suspected leak of SSLC English and Plus One Mathematics exam question papers on YouTube before exams. The Koduvally-based skill development training institute was under scanner since the launch of the CB investigation.