The Mumbai Crime Branch property cell team has detained Rutuja Patil, the primary accused in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission drug inspector examination paper leak case, from Nandurbar. Rutuja was herself an applicant in the MPSC drug inspector exam and had managed to secure the 7th rank in the provisional merit list. With her detention, the total number of individuals arrested or taken into custody in connection with this scam has now risen to 7, and all apprehended accused were produced before a court which subsequently sent them to police custody until September 2.
Leaked Paper Secured Days Prior to Exam
According to investigators, Rutuja had allegedly received the leaked question paper prior to the examination date. To evade any suspicion regarding her high score, she was reportedly advised to intentionally leave 10 questions wrong on her test paper. A bizarre twist in this entire paper leak scandal emerged when a boyfriend spilled the beans after a breakup, exposing how his former girlfriend and her father had purchased the leaked question paper. This disclosure blew the lid off the entire operation being investigated by law enforcement.
Exam Conducted on March 22
The MPSC drug inspector recruitment test originally took place on March 22. It is alleged that 78 questions from this examination were circulated on a WhatsApp group as early as March 20. Following the unearthing of this elaborate paper leak scheme, the MPSC cancelled the entire recruitment drive. Authorities are currently interrogating the accused individuals to dismantle the entire operational syndicate. Police inquiries have revealed that the prime accused, Rutuja Patil, initially pressured her boyfriend for money to finance the purchase of the leaked papers.
Detailed Timeline of the MPSC Drug Inspector Recruitment
July 29, 2025: The MPSC issued an official advertisement for recruiting drug inspector group-B positions within the Food and Drugs Administration department.
March 22, 2026: The offline screening test for the drug inspector recruitment was successfully conducted across six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra.
June 12, 2026: The screening exam results were officially declared, following which 506 candidates were declared qualified to appear for the subsequent interview round.
July 1 to July 22, 2026: Interviews for the qualified candidates were conducted, with 488 applicants actively participating in the evaluation process.
July 21, 2026: The MPSC received its first formal complaint concerning alleged irregularities and a suspected paper leak during the examination process.
July 22 to July 26, 2026: The commission continued to receive multiple grievances from various candidates and public representatives alleging that certain applicants had obtained questions or the complete question paper two days prior to the exam on March 20 via social media and other digital channels.
July 22, 2026: Immediately following the interview process, a provisional common merit list comprising 488 candidates was published, showing 485 candidates eligible and three ineligible for the drug inspector role.
July 27, 2026: Acknowledging the gravity of the mounting complaints, the MPSC requested the Mumbai Police to conduct a thorough probe into the matter, which simultaneously sparked intense political controversy surrounding the leak allegations.
Late July 2026: The Mumbai Police crime branch conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted its findings to the MPSC, establishing prima facie that a specific candidate had indeed gained unauthorized access to questions prior to the test.
August 25, 2026: The MPSC officially announced the complete cancellation of the drug inspector group-B recruitment process, stating that the decision was necessary to uphold the confidentiality, fairness, and transparency of examinations while maintaining candidate trust.
What Lies Ahead
Following the cancellation, the MPSC will conduct a fresh screening test for the drug inspector positions. Candidates who had previously applied will not be required to submit new applications nor will they incur any additional examination fees. New dates for the rescheduled examination will be announced in due course. For additional context regarding the cancellation and political claims, readers can check this detailed report and review the breakup revelations through this coverage.
