The Jharkhand Criminal Investigation Department has arrested two brothers from Hazaribag over allegations of fraud in the 14th preliminary examination conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission. The accused, identified as Deepak Rana and Om Prakash Rana, are alleged to have used unfair means to clear the competitive examination. Investigators have placed both men under questioning as the agency seeks to uncover the precise nature of the alleged malpractice and verify whether outside facilitators aided their performance.
Interrogation underway to unearth wider network
State investigators suspect that the irregular practices surrounding the preliminary test were not confined to the two brothers alone. Sustained custodial questioning is focused on discovering how the examination procedure was bypassed or manipulated, as well as tracking down any accomplices who may have enabled the pair to secure their qualifying marks. Detectives are reviewing the brothers’ academic preparation, the logistical arrangements surrounding their appearance at the test center, and their correspondence before and during the exercise. The objective remains establishing whether third-party operators orchestrated the fraudulent activity or if the candidates acted on their own initiative.
Scrutiny turns to digital records and financial transactions
To substantiate the allegations, the investigating team is preparing to examine available documentary and electronic materials tied to both suspects. Analysts are scheduled to review personal communication logs, data trails, and banking records to trace any illicit money transfers or contacts with known examination racketeers. Authorities have not yet disclosed the precise technique the brothers allegedly used to compromise the preliminary test. Law enforcement officials noted that further operational specifics will surface as digital forensics work progresses alongside the ongoing rounds of formal interrogation.
Fresh scrutiny surrounds competitive recruitment process
The enforcement action has cast renewed attention on the credibility of competitive state recruitment tests, which continue to face challenges from paper compromises, candidate impersonation, and institutional cheating networks. The inquiry is expected to address the possible involvement of additional applicants, middlemen, or facilitators seeking to distort recruitment outcomes. Departmental officers indicated that any future arrests or legal action against external actors will rest entirely on evidentiary leads established during the ongoing probe, with final findings subject to formal judicial proceedings.
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