Mumbai, Sep 25: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four more accused in connection with the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector exam question paper leak case, taking the total number of arrests to 11.

The latest arrests include two candidates and two middlemen. The arrested candidates have been identified as Sajid Sande and Vijay Kinger. Sande was arrested from Sangli, while Kinger was apprehended from Buldhana.

The two middlemen, Sandeep Khalate and Bhairavnath Kadam, were arrested from Navi Mumbai, according to the investigation.

The probe has revealed violations of the confidentiality and fairness of the MPSC examination. The investigation is also examining allegations that official duties were misused to unlawfully access, withdraw and exchange question papers for financial gain.

Earlier, former Under Secretary Abhijit Lendve, Assistant Chamber Officers Visheshwar Nakate and Gopal Marathe, Kautilya Academy Director Praveen Patil, alleged middlemen Amrit Patil and Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, and candidate Rituja Patil were arrested in connection with the case.

With the latest four arrests, the total number of accused arrested in the case has reached 11.

The SIT is conducting further investigations and is examining the possible involvement of other individuals in the alleged question paper leak.

The case had earlier triggered protests among MPSC aspirants. On September 7, thousands of candidates took to the streets in Pune, demanding greater transparency in the commission’s functioning and seeking the removal of its chairman, Vivek Bhimanwar.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the alleged paper leak had taken an unusual turn after a personal dispute reportedly led to information about the alleged leak reaching the MPSC.

According to the Crime Branch, Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, 24, was himself a recipient of the leaked question paper and had obtained it from his then-girlfriend, Rituja Patil, before the March 22 examination.

Police allege that after the two separated, Patil approached the MPSC and informed the commission about the alleged leak. According to the investigation, he was concerned that Rituja Patil would move on after securing a government job.

The Crime Branch is continuing its probe to establish the complete chain through which the question paper was accessed and circulated, as well as the roles played by the candidates, alleged middlemen and other individuals involved in the case.

New Delhi, Sep 25: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly changed its approach towards fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, with greater emphasis now being placed on keeping him secure and moving him to a location near Karachi port.

Intelligence officials said the move is aimed at protecting the narcotics network linked to him while reducing the risk of international scrutiny falling on Islamabad.

He is considered a key figure in the syndicate that has been operating a narcotics smuggling network in India for several years.

For the Pakistani spy agency, which has supported Dawood Ibrahim over the years, the current situation is proving increasingly difficult. The agency needs funds to sustain terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Intelligence inputs suggest that this has increased the pressure on the network to expand the narcotics trade substantially.

An official said the ISI would have wanted Dawood Ibrahim to use his network to significantly expand narcotics smuggling operations. “However, the focus now is more on creating escape routes, taking care of his health and also ensuring his safety,” the official said.

While Dawood is reportedly suffering from several health problems, he is alive and continues to remain in Karachi. Following Operation Sindoor in May last year, the ISI is believed to have stepped up his security and moved him between different locations to avoid detection.

“He is currently living near a port in Karachi, and this location was chosen so that he could make a quick escape in case of an Indian operation that would look to target him,” the official added.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the reason he is being kept at a location from where he could make a quick escape is that if he is killed in an operation, then it would become amply clear that Pakistan has been housing him.

Islamabad has over the years vehemently denied his presence in Pakistan.

While Operation Sindoor inflicted significant damage on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, it also altered the operating environment for the Dawood syndicate. Dawood, who had largely remained in the security of his Karachi residence, was forced to change his movements and operating pattern following the operation.

“Today when it comes to Dawood, the ISI is focusing more on ensuring his protection rather than using him for operations,” the IB official added.

The Narendra Modi government’s intensified crackdown on drugs has also disrupted the ISI’s plans to a considerable extent. The arrest of Dawood’s close aide, Salim Dola, has unsettled the syndicate’s international operations and disrupted established supply chains. In India, enforcement agencies are continuing their relentless pursuit of narcotics networks and cartels.

Another official said that in such a situation, Dawood becomes extremely handy for the ISI. There are the likes of Anees Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and Haji Salim to run the show. But Dawood is a cult figure for the syndicate, and with him not to be seen, many of the operatives have developed low morale, the official said.

The ISI would look for ways to ramp up narcotics smuggling in India. There is a major push that is being made through Punjab. However, the ISI would want the trade to thrive in all parts of the country, as raising funds from only Punjab operations is not sufficient to nurture the various terror groups in Pakistan, officials say.

In addition to Dawood’s poor health and security issues, there is also a succession battle within the syndicate. Shakeel feels he is far more useful and has contributed much more than the rest for the syndicate.

However, the family members are rooting for Dawood’s brother Anees Ibrahim to take charge, officials also point out.

Another official said that the ISI has multiple problems when it comes to the Dawood syndicate.

It cannot afford so many problems, especially with this syndicate at a time when it wants to raise funds in a big way through narcotics smuggling.

On the other hand, concealing his location and not letting the world know that he is in Pakistan is also important for the ISI. The country is also under close scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and hence it becomes important to secure and cover Dawood Ibrahim, who is a key figure in terror funding, counterfeiting, and money laundering.

A weakened D-Company is good news for the Indian security agencies. Such issues would help the investigating agencies crack cases better and further weaken the Dawood network within India.

If the agencies manage to do this, a considerable amount of the narcotics smuggling problem in the country would be solved, an official said.

Greater Noida, Sep 24: Passengers travelling on the double-decker bus that caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida had reportedly noticed a burning smell minutes before the blaze erupted; however, the driver and conductor allegedly continued smoking cigarettes inside the vehicle, according to the first information report (FIR).

Nine people, including a woman, were charred to death and several were seriously injured after a massive fire broke out in the bus, officials said.

The FIR stated that passengers had earlier objected to the driver and conductor smoking inside the bus. However, the two allegedly laughed off their objections and threatened the passengers, asking them to remain quiet and not raise the issue further.

According to the FIR, a strong burning odour subsequently began spreading through the moving bus.

The passengers noticed the smell and informed the driver about it, but he and the conductor allegedly dismissed their concerns, saying that such a smell was common inside the bus and that they often experienced it.

Despite repeated requests from the passengers to check the source of the smell, the driver allegedly did not carry out any inspection of the vehicle. Instead, he and the conductor continued smoking cigarettes while the bus was travelling on the expressway, the FIR said.

A few minutes later, flames were reportedly seen emerging from the front portion of the bus, causing panic among the passengers travelling inside the vehicle.

As the fire began spreading and passengers started screaming for help, the driver allegedly refused to stop the bus.

According to the FIR, the driver told the passengers, “I don’t care if you die, I won’t stop the bus.”

The incident involved a Bihar-registered sleeper tourist bus that was travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. The vehicle was carrying more than 35 people when the fire broke out on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.

The blaze rapidly engulfed the bus, while thick and dense smoke filled the vehicle, making it extremely difficult for the passengers to find a way out.

Upon receiving the information, senior police officials, accompanied by the local police force, a rescue tender, and a fire tender stationed at the Jewar Toll Plaza, responded, according to the officials. Four additional fire tenders and a fire service unit immediately rushed to the scene and completely extinguished the fire.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated from a spark or blast in the bus’s air conditioning system, which ignited the engine’s lubricating oil and caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The driver and conductor were taken into custody, and a case was registered under relevant sections, officials said.

“A case has been registered under relevant sections regarding the incident, and both the driver and the conductor have been taken into custody. Further necessary legal proceedings are underway,” officials said.