Ex-principal of Bishop Johnson (Girls Wing) arrested in RO/ARO-2023 paper leak case

The Lucknow wing of the Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday arrested the former principal of Bishop Johnson Girls’ School and College, Parul Solomon, in connection with the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) examination–2023.

Parul had appointed one of the accused as the centre manager at Bishop Johnson Girls’ School and College, where the examination was conducted. The accused, Arpit Vinit Yashwant, had leaked the question paper from the centre and sent it to other accused through WhatsApp, STF officials said.

DySP STF Lucknow, Lal Pratap Singh, said a team under Inspector Anjani Kumar Tiwari, accompanied by women cops, arrested the former principal of Bishop Johnson Girls’ Wing after her role in the RO/ARO paper leak was established during investigations. Parul was wanted in the case and was arrested from the Civil Lines area. Investigations have revealed that Parul appointed Arpit Vinit Yashwant as the centre manager at Bishop Johnson Girls’ Wing, where the examination was conducted. Arpit Vinit Yashwant, an employee at Bishop Johnson Girls’ Wing, is one of the accused arrested by the STF in April this year in connection with the RO/ARO-2023 paper leak. The STF had filed a chargesheet against the 16 accused in the paper leak case. Initial investigations revealed that the RO/ARO-2023 question papers were leaked from the examination centre at Bishop Johnson Girls’ Wing. However, further investigations indicated that the leak also originated from the printing press in Bhopal.

The role of former principal of Bishop Johnson Girls’ School and College, Parul Solomon, in the paper leak case was under the scanner of STF since the arrest of Arpit Vinit Yashwant, who was close to the principal. It also came to the fore that Arpit was not even an employee at Bishop Johnson Girls’ Wing and used to work at Boys’ High School.

STF officials said that investigations indicated that Arpit Vinit Yashwant leaked the question papers of RO/ARO with the help of former school principal Parul Solomon.

So far, the Special Task Force (STF) and police have arrested 29 individuals in connection with the RO/ARO Exam paper leak and constable recruitment examination paper leaks. Cases against the accused have been lodged at Civil Lines police station in Prayagraj and Kokhraj police station in Kaushambi. Those arrested include the kingpin of the gang, Rajiv Nayan Mishra, of the Meja area of Prayagraj.

An FIR was registered in this connection at Civil Lines police station on the complaint of UPPSC officials on March 4 this year, and later, the examination was cancelled. The investigations were handed over to STF Lucknow.