Teacher to paper leak mastermind: Maharashtra cops on Bijendra Gupta’s trail

July 2, 2026 Headlinesnews

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 2, 2026 12:50 PM IST

Bijendra Gupta, the alleged mastermind of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak in Maharashtra, was allegedly involved in paper leaks in several states in the past and was also arrested in a murder case, police have found.

The investigators said Gupta was arrested several times. He would get bail and go into hiding before re-emerging in another state under a different identity, they said. Gupta continues to be on the run as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the paper leak case widens its search across several states.

According to the police, Gupta is from Bihar’s Samastipur district and completed schooling there. The youngest of four siblings, he grew up in a family that runs a grocery shop and a flour mill. After graduating in science from Begusarai, he taught at coaching institutes in Patna before moving to Bhopal, where he continued to work as a teacher.

Police say Gupta was arrested in a murder case in 2003 when he was a student in Begusarai. His wife, Suman Kumari, who has been arrested in Patna in the paper leak case, has told investigators that Gupta was acquitted in the murder case. According to police officers, Gupta was arrested in 2011 in Bhopal after the question paper of a state recruitment exam leaked. He was later released on bail.

Investigators allege that Gupta gradually became part of paper leak networks operating across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra. They claim he frequently changed his name and identity while moving from one state to another. The SIT has also linked Gupta to the 2023 Odisha Joint Entrance Examination paper leak case, in which he was arrested before being granted bail. Officers say he continued to operate in these networks despite being arrested several times.

Maharashtra TET paper leak Bijendra Gupta’s wife Suman was arrested in Patna. PTI

What Gupta’s wife told cops

During questioning, Gupta’s wife, Suman Kumari, told police that they had been married for around 15 years and had three daughters. She told investigators that Gupta worked as a property dealer in Patna and Delhi.

Police say the family had planned a birthday party for one of their daughters on July 1 and had hired caterers. But on June 29, Suman Kumari was arrested in Patna. Investigators believe Gupta was expected to attend the function but went into hiding after learning of his wife’s arrest.

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A police officer said Gupta was on the run in another case around five years ago when a close family member died. According to investigators, he briefly attended the funeral after receiving assurances that it was safe, but left within minutes after getting an alert that police teams could be approaching.

Maharashtra TET paper leak The Opposition in Maharashtra has targeted the state government over the paper leak. PTI

Maharashtra’s paper leak

The question paper of the Teacher Eligibility Test, a competitive exam through which the Maharashtra government recruits teachers for state-run schools, was found to be leaked on Saturday, the day before the test. The authorities were forced to postpone the exam, and this sparked massive outrage among aspirants. The paper leak has left the Devendra Fadnavis-led NDA government red-faced because it comes close on the heels of the NEET-UG paper leak for which the NDA government at the Centre is drawing fire.

Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.

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Manish Kumar Pathak’s consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. … Read More

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