Bhubaneswar, July 31: An accused involved in the alleged leakage of all India Industrial Training Institute (ITI) examination question papers was arrested yesterday. Seven persons, including a lecturer and two students, had earlier been arrested in connection with the case.

The annual examination for engineering drawing of electrician trade of the All-India Trade Test (AITT) for craftsmen was cancelled on July 26 as the question paper for the examination had been leaked before the test.

State Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training, the agency that was conducting the examination in the state, had lodged a complaint in this regard with the capital police.

The police said the accused, Bidyadhar Behera, 22, a student who hailed from Satyabadi area in Puri, was nabbed from his native place. “Those who were arrested on July 28 had given information about Behera. We then tracked his mobile phone to know about his location and later arrested him yesterday,” said a police officer.

Three days ago, the capital police had arrested seven of the accused from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, including the owner of a photocopy shop from Mancheswar area. The police said the council authorities had given the number of one student, who was arrested on July 26. Subsequent interrogation led to the arrest of others.

The police said Behera had purchased the question papers from these people and sold it to others in his area.

The mastermind behind the question paper leak is yet to be caught. However, the police said they had got clue about the main accused in the paper leak incident.

“We have got information that the person behind the crime is a college lecturer. Once he is arrested, the total modus operandi will be clear. We are keeping a track on him and hope to nab him very soon,” said the officer.

Apart from the lecturer, who is absconding, the police suspected that there might be some more people involved in the paper leak incident.

Around 40,000 students of 464 ITI colleges were taking the exams across 309 centres. Though other tests were conducted as per schedule, officials said the new date for the re-examination of this particular paper would be declared soon.