Ranchi: Jharkhand government employee Abhay Kumar Tiwari, arrested by the CID in a recruitment scam that also involved paper leaks, has named several JPSC officials and individuals who secured services by offering bribes, a source from Jharkhand CID told ThePrint.
Tiwari, a Block Supply Officer in Poreyahat, Godda, was formerly a marketing manager at TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), the agency entrusted with conducting Jharkhand Public Service Commission exams.
Among those named in Tiwari’s statement are JPSC’s former deputy controller Shweta Gupta, TDPL director Ramveer Singh, TDPL employees Mohammad Usman and Mohammad Ebad, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Robin Kumar, DSP Shailesh Sinha, and Deputy Jailor Rajesh Kumar Rajak.
Lalu Yadav, a resident of Koderma, was allegedly their agent. Tiwari told the CID that Yadav introduced him to three candidates: Robin Kumar, Sinha, and Rajak.
“Tiwari then allegedly connected them with TDPL director Ramveer Singh, who facilitated their links with former JPSC chairman L Khiangte and former JPSC member Ajita Bhattacharya through people connected to the commission,” a CID official said.
The fourth candidate, DSP Manish Kumar, was in contact with Bhattacharya through her personal assistant Brajram, while the fifth one, Gautam Kumar, acted through Ravi Kumar, the operator of Patanjali Coaching.
Tiwari alleges that he received information about the candidates’ meetings with the former chairman and other members through other agents.
The candidates Tiwari named
Robin Kumar celebrated his selection for Jharkhand Police Service (JPS) with grand road shows, motivational talks, and social media posts. His social media handles have now been deactivated. He secured rank 7 in the JPSC 2023 Civil Services Examination, the results for which were declared in July 2025.
“Work done with dedication never goes in vain. Those who have failed today should not lose hope. If they continue to make honest efforts, they will surely achieve success one day,” Robin told Samridh Jharkhand in Hindi after his selection.
Another candidate, Shailesh Ranjan Sinha, is also from Hazaribagh. He secured rank 55 in the JPSC examination.
After the results, both became success stories in Jharkhand. But none of them received the coverage that Rajesh Kumar Rajak did. Hailing from Hazaribagh’s Lalodih village, Rajak became a viral sensation after the JPSC 2023 examination, in which he secured rank 271. He had lost his father; his grandmother was a school worker; his brother was a daily wage labourer; and he used to work as a food delivery partner in Ranchi while preparing for competitive exams. He was selected for the Jharkhand Jail Service as a Jail Superintendent.
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JPSC members, intermediaries
Along with Bhattacharya, Tiwari also named JPSC members Jamal Ahmad and Anima Hansda. He alleged that Aditya Pandey, a Namkum resident, acted as an intermediary between various parties.
Tiwari told Jharkhand CID that Pandey contacted Khiangte, Bhattacharya, Brajram, Ahmad, Hansda, and Singh. He alleged that the contacts were used to increase the interview marks of seven candidates.
“Abhay Tiwari said that Aditya Pandey of Namkum contacted Khiangte, Ajita Bhattacharya, her PA Brajram, Jamal Ahmed, Anima Hansda and TDPL director Ramveer Singh, and allegedly got the marks of seven candidates increased in the interview. Lakhs of rupees were allegedly collected in exchange for this,” said the CID official.
Tiwari also told investigators that candidates who had established contact with a particular JPSC member were allegedly placed before the same member’s interview panel.
The alleged arrangement was not confined to interviews, according to him. Tiwari admitted to financial transactions in the 11th-13th JPSC examination cycle. He also said that candidates appearing for the CDPO examination were charged Rs 10 lakh each.
The former TDPL employee also described who handled the money. He alleged that interview-related payments were given to Brajram, while Khiangte allegedly received money through a person named Dharmendra. Jamal Ahmad arranged candidates through brokers in Hazaribagh, and Singh was allegedly aware of the arrangements.
“According to Abhay Tiwari, TDSP Manish Kumar was in contact with Bhattacharya through her PA Brajram. The setting for the fifth candidate, Gautam Kumar, was done through Ravi Kumar, the operator of Patanjali Coaching. He also received information about the setting with the chairman and other members through other agents,” the CID official said.
In one CDPO examination case, Tiwari allegedly told the CID that after discussions with Ramveer Singh, Rs 15 lakh was paid to Khiangte for a candidate whose interview was to be conducted by him. The allegation is based on Tiwari’s statement to the CID and has not been independently established.
According to Tiwari, candidates were allegedly charged Rs 5 lakh for the prelims in the general category and Rs 2-3 lakh for the SC/ST category in the 11th to 13th JPSC Civil Services exams. By the time of final selection, the alleged rate rose to Rs 60-70 lakh per candidate.
For the FRO examination, the alleged rate was Rs 20-25 lakh per candidate, while for ACF, it was Rs 30-35 lakh. Candidates were charged Rs 10 lakh in the CDPO examination, Tiwari claimed.
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Corroborating claims
A January complaint to Khiangte had already alleged manipulation of 500 OMR sheets, 350 from the FRO preliminary examination and 150 from the ACF preliminary examination. The complaint named Tiwari and alleged that money was being taken to manipulate examinations. It also sought an independent inquiry and CCTV footage from examination halls.
The complaint mentioned a rate of Rs 5 lakh for clearing the preliminary examination, Rs 25 lakh rupees for the written examination, and Rs 10 lakh for the interview. These were allegations made in the complaint and have not been independently established.
The CID is now examining whether the allegations in that complaint connect with the network described by Tiwari in his statement.
The agency has also arrested other TDPL employees, including Usman, Ebad, Hemant Verma, Pradeep Kumar Singh, and Sanjay Kumar, as well as Tiwari’s alleged associate Arvind Kumar.
Tiwari’s own role is also under scrutiny. Investigators are examining how he remained linked to TDPL after he quit the agency and whether his government identity and his association with the examination agency overlapped.
The allegations against people named by Tiwari have not been established in court. The CID is verifying his statement against documentary, digital, and financial evidence.
Abhay Tiwari himself had cleared multiple JPSC-JSSC exams such as TGT, BSO, RFO, ACF, and Food Safety Officer. His brother and wife are also government employees. CID is now examining these recruitments for possible links to the alleged exam-rigging network.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)