In a significant development under Operation Clean Ride, Jhalawar police have arrested seven more individuals from Kota, Ajmer, Banswara, Jaipur, and Jhalawar for alleged large-scale misuse of the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation’s free examination travel scheme.
These arrests come after the interrogation of eight accused apprehended on Friday, including the alleged mastermind Narendra Singh Rajawat. Investigations revealed a well-organised racket involving collusion between contractual bus conductors, drivers, civil defence personnel, and other roadways staff.
Jhalawar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said a confidential complaint was received on December 24, accusing Rajawat and his associates of intimidating roadways conductors and extorting money. Following a month-long inquiry, a case was registered at Kotwali police station, Jhalawar, leading to coordinated raids and multiple arrests.
Police found systematic abuse of the free travel scheme, which allows candidates appearing in competitive examinations to travel free of cost in ordinary express buses from two days before to two days after the exam. Contractual conductors and drivers allegedly showed 50% to 75% of their revenue as free exam tickets while collecting full fares from passengers. As a result, only a fraction of the actual revenue was deposited with the roadways.
A large number of examination admit cards were recovered from Radheyshyam, a Kota resident, pointing to organised and deliberate misuse. Investigators also discovered that permanent conductors and civil defence personnel—who do not have fixed revenue targets—allegedly supplied admit cards to the racket. These were then used by contractual staff to manipulate records.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Harshraj Singh stated that the involvement of other roadways employees, including members of the flying squad, is under investigation, and further names may surface as the probe continues. The total financial irregularities are estimated to be around Rs2.7 crore.
