The Jharkhand Public Service Commission examination controversy has widened, with statements recorded by the CID probe pointing to alleged manipulation at several stages of the examination process, including the Optical Mark Reading (OMR) and On-Screen Marking (OSM) systems, according to the material provided to the investigation.The Tribune learned through its sources that the statements, which the CID is verifying, refer to alleged irregularities in the Forest Range Officer (FRO) examination, the 14th JPSC examination and the JPSC backlog examination. One of the statements attributed to Usman claims that around 100 candidates in the FRO examination, more than 100 in the 14th JPSC examination and between 50 and 100 in the backlog examination may have cleared the tests after paying money.The CID is carrying out verification of these claims.Usman told the CID that he joined TDPL (the agency handling the state’s recruitment examination and is under scrutiny) in 2025 as technical support staff. According to his statement, Pradeep Kumar Singh worked as an engineer in the company and supervised OMR processing and publication of results. Usman said Pradeep handled OMR related work, while Hemant dealt with OSM related work.Tampering, manipulation in OMR and OSM systemsHe further alleged that Hemant and Sanjay together carried out the alleged tampering and manipulation in OMR and OSM systems. According to the statement, Sanjay remained in contact with TDPL marketing manager Abhay Tiwari and JPSC examination controller Shweta Gupta, among others, and played a role in connecting candidates with those involved in the alleged arrangement.Usman also told the CID that technical teams led by TDPL directors Ramveer Singh and Satpal Singh would come from outside during the alleged manipulation process. He claimed that he was responsible for the execution and supervision of the process and that Ramveer Singh had offered him a 20 per cent share of the total bill in return for his involvement.The allegations centre around the way marks were allegedly altered after candidates had appeared for examinations. Usman’s statement says the alleged manipulation was carried out through OMR and OSM systems, allowing marks to be changed at different stages of the examination process.A separate statement attributed to arrested TDPL director Ramveer Singh gives a more specific account of how the alleged manipulation was carried out. Ramveer is stated to have told the CID that circles left blank on OMR sheets were changed to indicate correct answers.His alleged statement refers to manipulation at several stages, including OMR scanning, changes in OMR sheets, alteration of data connected with merit marks, OSM, marks in the mains examination and generation of codes for interviews.The statement also assigns Shweta Gupta responsibility for the conduct and supervision of the ACF and FRO interviews and the 14th JPSC examination.According to the material, Ramveer further told investigators that answer keys for some examinations were shared with concerned employees before evaluation began. This, the statement alleges, enabled manipulation in the OMR and OSM processes.Another allegation concerns the use of candidates’ roll numbers. Ramveer’s statement says that roll numbers provided through Abhay Kumar Tiwari were used to identify candidates whose OMR sheets allegedly had blank answers. Those answers were then marked correctly, after which their marks were allegedly increased to facilitate selection.The statement claims that after the FRO preliminary examination, Abhay Tiwari, Dharmendra, described as a computer operator at the Chief Secretary’s residence, and Anand provided a list of around 15 candidates. Their OMR sheets were allegedly to be altered by marking correct answers so that the candidates could qualify.Payments between Rs 8 lakh-Rs 10 lakhThe alleged arrangement was not limited to the preliminary stage. The material also contains claims of manipulation in the ACF and FRO main examinations. According to the statement, candidates were allegedly promised selection in return for payments of between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 10 lakh each.The investigation material also alleges that arrangements were made at different locations in Ranchi and Hazaribagh for candidates to prepare for or have answers written during written examinations. Abhay Tiwari is alleged to have provided the roll numbers of 40 to 50 candidates for selection and to have paid around Rs 1.10 crore in cash in different instalments for the arrangement.The statements also take the investigation beyond the examination centres.According to the statement attributed to arrested TDPL marketing manager Abhay Tiwari, a flat was taken in Hariom Tower in Ranchi where arrangements were allegedly made for candidates to have their answers written. The statement claims that agents brought people from other states for this purpose. It also alleges that some professors were approached to increase the marks of candidates whose written answers were considered relatively better.Abhay’s statement reportedly claims that he paid around Rs 40 lakh for writing answers for his candidates in the ACF and FRO mains examinations and for increasing their marks. In the CDPO examination, he allegedly claimed that candidates were supplied through TDPL and that the rate was around Rs 10 lakh per candidate.The material also contains an allegation concerning senior IAS officer Manish Ranjan. Abhay Tiwari’s statement mentions visits by TDPL directors Ramveer Singh and Satpal Singh to Ranjan’s residence. According to the statement, Abhay said he heard from these individuals that three candidates of Manish Ranjan had allegedly been helped in the 14th JPSC examination. He, however, denied knowing the names of those candidates.The CID is verifying this claim as well.Taken together, the statements put the focus not only on individual candidates allegedly paying for selection but on the examination process itself. The allegations describe a chain in which candidate roll numbers were allegedly supplied, OMR sheets were allegedly altered, marks were allegedly increased and arrangements were allegedly made for answers to be written outside the examination system.The allegations remain subject to investigation and verification by the CID. The statements cited in the material are allegations attributed to individuals questioned or arrested in connection with the case and do not by themselves establish the guilt of the people named.The case has therefore moved beyond questions over individual examination irregularities to allegations of manipulation of the systems through which candidates’ answers were read, marked and ultimately reflected in the merit process.