A Solapur-based police training institute director, Prakash Pawar, has been arrested by the Bhiwandi Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 question paper leak, officials confirmed on Tuesday, 11 August. His arrest brings the total number of people held in the case to 16, as investigators continue to map a sprawling network that spans multiple states.

Key Developments

DCP Pawan Bansod of Zone 2, Bhiwandi, confirmed that Pawar was detained, questioned, and subsequently placed under formal arrest after his name surfaced during the ongoing probe. According to police, Pawar runs a coaching institute in Solapur that prepares candidates for several competitive examinations, including police recruitment tests. Investigators allege he provided documents belonging to certain students to individuals who had already been arrested in the case.

Police are now probing the circumstances under which those student documents were shared, the purpose they served, and whether Pawar had direct or indirect links with other accused in the network. Financial transactions and additional documentary evidence are also under scrutiny.

The Alleged Mastermind and Multi-State Trail

A few days before Pawar's arrest, police had detained Vijendra Gupta, identified as the alleged principal mastermind of the leak. The investigation initially pointed toward accused persons in Delhi, Agra, and Bihar. As the probe widened, however, links to Maharashtra emerged, leading investigators to examine individuals connected with examination coaching activities within the state — a trail that ultimately led to Pawar.

Notably, the involvement of a police training institute director in an examination fraud case adds a layer of institutional concern, given that such institutes are meant to prepare candidates for law-enforcement careers.

How the Leak Was Exposed

The Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE) abruptly cancelled the TET 2026 examination on 27 June — just one day before it was scheduled to be held across 1,028 centres statewide. The decision followed a joint raid by Bhiwandi Police, which acted on intelligence indicating that a group in Bhiwandi, Thane district, had gained unauthorised access to the question papers in the early hours of that day.

Council officials stated the postponement was necessary to ensure transparency and fairness for all candidates. The cancellation left more than 4.28 lakh aspirants across Maharashtra uncertain about their examination schedule, triggering widespread anxiety and anger among the teaching-aspirant community.

Impact on Candidates and What Comes Next

The abrupt cancellation has disrupted the career timelines of over 4.28 lakh candidates who had prepared and registered for the examination. No fresh date for the rescheduled TET has been officially announced yet, compounding uncertainty for aspirants.

Investigators are expected to determine whether the arrested accused derived financial benefit from the alleged leak and whether additional individuals remain at large. The SIT's focus is on establishing the complete chain of the operation — from how confidential examination material was first accessed to how it was circulated across state lines. With the arrest count now at 16, the case is shaping up as one of Maharashtra's more far-reaching examination fraud investigations in recent years.