12 more arrested in JK Fire and Emergency Services paper leak case

Srinagar: In a breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the Jammu and Kashmir Fire and Emergency Services (FES) recruitment paper leak, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested 12 more persons, officials said on Monday.

The fresh detentions mark a major escalation in the probe, signalling what authorities describe as a well-orchestrated conspiracy to compromise the integrity of the selection process.

With this latest wave of arrests, the total number of accused held in connection with the high-profile recruitment scandal has risen sharply, underlining the agency’s determined efforts to dismantle the network operating across the Union Territory.

Official sources confirmed that the arrests were made in connection with FIR No. 01/2025, registered over the leakage of the examination paper and the larger criminal conspiracy that undermined the sanctity of the recruitment drive.

The arrested persons have been identified as Abdul Majid Ganie of Chadoora (Budgam), Bilal Ahmad Halwai of Bijbehara (Anantnag), Irshad-ul-Hamid Hakeem of Hajin (Bandipora), Shahnawaz Ahmad Khan of Sumbal (Bandipora), Ali Mohammad Bhat of Chadoora (Budgam), Shabir Ahmad Malik of Soibugh (Budgam), Mohammad Akram Bhat of Dharmunna (Budgam), Mushtaq Ahmad Rathi of Tangmarg, Sameer Ullah Rather of Chadoora (Budgam), Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat of Kakapora (Pulwama), Zaker Hussain of Phagsoo (Doda), and Sanjay Datta of Jammu.

Notably, the arrests span multiple districts, including Budgam, Bandipora, Pulwama, Anantnag, Doda, and Jammu, pointing to a well-coordinated racket with tentacles spread across the Union Territory. Investigators have gathered incriminating evidence and carried out sustained interrogations leading to the detentions, sources added.

Meanwhile, a senior official told news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) the ACB is currently probing multiple angles to unravel the entire conspiracy, with a sharp focus on identifying all beneficiaries and establishing the precise role of each accused in subverting the recruitment process.

He said the investigating agency has made it clear that the crackdown is far from over, and further arrests, searches, and legal actions are imminent as scrutiny of evidence and financial trails continues. (KNS)