The names of the erring candidates, identified by the Chandigarh Police during the preliminary inquiry, had been given to senior officials, but they went ahead with the selection process rather than taking any action. UT Inspector General of Police S K Jain had said no such illegality or discrepancy was brought to his knowledge. And as far as paper-leak was concerned, it was yet to be substantiated by their counterparts in Delhi who are investigating the case, he had said on Thursday.

Sources in the Delhi Police said the prime accused in the case, Joginder Dahiya and Sanjay Rana, were approached by a few candidates for the question paper. The two accused, allegedly in connivance with three Delhi Police officials — SI Ram Chander Gulia, ASI Pale Ram and Constable Rajesh who are already in police custody — received Rs 10 to 12 lakh per candidate for providing them with the “sample” question paper.

The cash transaction also figures in a register maintained by ASI Pale Ram, which was recovered from his residence in Delhi during a raid. The Delhi Police also recovered a business card of Joginder Dahiya, which bears his signature against receiving an amount of Rs 10 lakh from one of the candidates.

According to information, the “erring” candidates were picked up by Joginder Dahiya from Karnal and brought to their examination centre in Chandigarh. The candidates were also given a “sample” question paper to solve en route.

While the Chandigarh Police has apparently tried to shrug off the responsibility of probing into the alleged discrepancies in the recruitment by throwing the ball in Delhi Police’s court, saying they are waiting for the investigation report, the latter has already started conducting raids to trace Dahiya and Rana who are still at large.

Talking to Newsline, a senior Delhi Police officer said: “The indications are quite strong. Immediately after arresting Pale Ram, we gave the names of candidates who figured in his register as his “clients” who paid him money for getting the question paper to the Chandigarh Police. It is up to them if they still want to go ahead with the selection procedure. We can come up with more details once Dahiya and Rana are arrested.”