ED attaches assets worth ₹2.01 crore in Bihar Constable exam paper leak case

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ED action in Bihar Constable paper leak case

Highlights

The ED attached five immovable properties valued at ₹2.01 crore in the Bihar Constable 2023 paper leak case.
Caltex Multiventures Pvt. Ltd. allegedly secured the contract through fraud and transferred ₹2.01 crore out of ₹5.9 crore through shell entities.
The paper leak and money laundering led to the cancellation of the exam, causing financial losses to the Bihar government and adversely affecting candidates' careers.

This article was translated from the original. Read the original version by our correspondent here.

Allegations of contract award, printing and fund flows

According to the Enforcement Directorate, its Patna Zonal Office made the attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, as part of its investigation into the Bihar Constable Recruitment 2023 exam paper leak case. The agency launched its investigation based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Unit in Patna, which included allegations that the question paper was leaked through Telegram URLs, mobile numbers and bank accounts.

According to the charge sheet dated 22 August 2024, Kaushik Kumar Kar, owner of Blessings Secured Press Pvt. Ltd., allegedly conspired to secure the question-paper printing contract through a proxy company called Caltex Multiventures Pvt. Ltd. It is alleged that the Central Selection Board of Constable, Bihar, awarded the contract to Caltex, even though it had neither prior printing experience nor its own printing press. The arrangement allegedly concealed the role of Blessings Secured Press, which had previously been blacklisted in exam paper leak cases.

The ED says that Caltex Multiventures obtained the contract through alleged fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy, then subcontracted the work to Blessings Secured Press in breach of the contract terms. The investigation has also found that the company received an advance of ₹5.9 crore, of which only a portion was sent to Blessings Secured Press, while ₹2.01 crore was allegedly diverted through various shell entities.

Attached properties and the wider impact of the case

According to the agency, proceeds from the alleged crime were layered through a network of shell companies and entities based in Kolkata that had no genuine business operations. The investigation also alleges that the origin and nature of the funds were concealed by transferring them among various entities through fictitious transactions, before they were ultimately converted into cash, obscuring the flow of money.

The ED said that when it was unable to trace the alleged proceeds of crime further, it provisionally attached five immovable properties registered in the name of M/s NC Print Pvt. Ltd., with a value equivalent to ₹2.01 crore. The agency alleges that this company is also controlled and beneficially owned by Kaushik Kumar Kar.

The case had an impact beyond the alleged financial irregularities, as the exam had to be cancelled after the question paper was leaked. This caused financial losses to the Bihar government and adversely affected candidates' careers.

The agency said that its investigation into identifying additional proceeds of crime and the role of other accused persons and entities involved in money laundering is ongoing.

Our previous report detailed the Enforcement Directorate's action in alleged fraud cases involving cooperative societies and banks in Kerala , where alleged proceeds of crime of around ₹550 crore across 27 cases were under investigation. The article highlighted the focus on tracing the flow of funds and recovering losses suffered by depositors through measures including simultaneous searches at 17 premises linked to three cases on 7 October 2026, the seizure of documents and digital evidence, and the freezing of fixed deposits/accounts.

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