Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested over 50 candidates from Haryana for using sophisticated electronic devices to cheat in a recruitment examination conducted by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), officials said on Tuesday.
Addressing the media, Capital Superintendent of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh said the arrests were made in connection with the exam held on Sunday for the posts of lab assistants and junior secretariat assistants (JSA).
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A total of 53 individuals were taken into custody for attempting to cheat using GSM-enabled gadgets and micro earpieces. Police recovered 29 devices and reported that many of the suspects had already confessed to their involvement.
The operation appears to have been orchestrated by a Haryana-based cheating syndicate, which allegedly exploited exam centres in remote locations such as Itanagar and Dimapur, believing they would have weaker security.
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According to Singh, police apprehended 23 candidates during pre-exam frisking at Kingcup Public School and one more at Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of additional suspects involved in the cheating ring.
All the accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act. FIRs have been registered at Niti Vihar and Chimpu police stations.
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Preliminary probes revealed that the gang lured aspirants and their families by offering guaranteed selection in exchange for hefty payments. They manipulated exam centre preferences, strategically assigning candidates to far-off venues to avoid scrutiny.
Once admit cards were issued, candidates were trained to use concealed communication tools. “The devices, often hidden in undergarments or ears, enabled real-time communication with external handlers,” Singh explained. “Candidates whispered the exam code, and answers were instantly relayed back.”
The CBSE has been informed of the breach, and police teams have been dispatched to Haryana to trace the key handlers and middlemen behind the racket.
Similar cheating incidents have surfaced in Gangtok, Chandigarh, and Shimla, indicating a nationwide network. Authorities have now launched a deeper investigation into the operation’s full scope and reach.