CBI books Western Railway officials for digitally rigging results of promotional exams

Ahmedabad: The scrutiny of routine departmental exams has led the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a series of corruption cases exposing in what officials are describing as one of the largest departmental exam scams in Western Railway. According to the CBI, an alleged network of senior officials, IT staff, and clerks manipulated computer-based tests (CBTs) by using remote access tools to access exam servers after the tests ended to help select candidates secure promotions. The CBI has filed four FIRs and booked 10 people after finding evidence of remote tampering, missing digital trails and suspicious financial transactions.According to multiple FIRs, the manipulations were allegedly carried out using customised exam software developed by one of the accused railway officers. "The scam came to light following vigilance scrutiny of the shunting master exam held on Aug 10, 2024, in which 178 candidates appeared. Six railway employees — Bablu Kumar (pointsman A), Chunchun Kumar (porter), Jitendra Makwana (porter), Sandip Singh (porter), Shilendra Yadav (porter) and Vipul Kumar (pointsman A) — secured abnormally high marks, raising suspicion. These men were later found to have taken loans from Jackson Credit Cooperative Society, a facility meant exclusively for railway staff, just days before the exam," said a CBI source close to the investigation. Other exams conducted in 2023 and 2024 were scrutinised and similar discrepancies were detected.
Following the completion of vigilance inquiries and approval from the railway ministry, four formal complaints were filed on Dec 30 by Rashmi Lokegaonkar, deputy chief vigilance officer (A&P), Western Railway, Churchgate, Mumbai, leading to the registration of FIRs by the CBI. The FIRs name 10 railway officials as accused and also refer to unidentified public servants and private individuals who allegedly assisted in manipulating the exams.At the centre of the alleged conspiracy is Jitesh Agrawal, then senior divisional personnel officer (senior DPO), who is accused of being the key decision-maker overseeing multiple departmental CBTs. Forensic analysis revealed serious procedural violations. One FIR notes that the exam session was not formally closed for more than two days after completion, contrary to established protocols. During this period, third-party remote access software ‘Anydesk' was installed on the exam servers, enabling remote control even after the exam window had ended. Investigators also found that the servers remained connected to the internet, despite official proposals requiring complete isolation during CBTs. Crucially, login logs were missing for the period immediately after the exams, making it impossible to identify who accessed the system post-exams. The FIRs further allege that the exam software used belonged to K P Manoj Narayanan, a retired chief office superintendent (IT) earlier posted in the Bhavnagar division, who had worked under Agrawal. Similar software was allegedly deployed during earlier CBTs conducted under Agrawal's tenure in Bhavnagar.Another key accused, Navroz Kurani, a database assistant, allegedly handled the creation of login IDs for candidates, paper setters and exam-conducting officers, giving him access to critical credentials. Mahendra Kumar Shirshat, a senior clerk, is accused of collecting money from candidates to influence exam outcomes. Investigators reported "huge suspicious credits" in the bank accounts of both Agrawal and Shirshat.According to the FIRs, Shirshat allegedly acted as a conduit, collecting money from beneficiaries and routing it to senior officials involved in the scam. Investigators believe the loans taken by the six beneficiaries from the Jackson Credit Cooperative Society were effectively used as structured bribes, with EMIs serving as payments to those orchestrating the scam.