UPSC aspirant held for impersonation in HPSC exam in Faridabad

Biometric mismatch exposed fraud at exam centre; original candidate arrested nearby, both sent to judicial custody under BNS charges.

A 25-year-old UPSC aspirant was arrested after he was caught writing the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) examination for his friend using forged document in Faridabad on Sunday, police said on Monday.

Imposter caught after fingerprint mismatch during biometric scan; friend nabbed near centre, both booked for cheating and conspiracy. (File photo)

Police also arrested the 26-year-old original candidate near the centre within a few hours after exposing the plot, they added. The two men are from Karontha in Rohtak.

According to police, the 25-year-old was studying for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. He had written the exam last year and was set to reappear in May.

Police said the examination centre, a senior secondary school in Sector-7C, was one of the 80 centres across Faridabad where the HPSC was conducting its HCS (Executive and Allied Services) examination on Sunday.

A senior district administration official said the imposter gained entry to the centre using the original candidate’s forged identity card. “However, during the biometric scan, the imposter’s fingerprints did not match the original candidate’s. This raised suspicion among the invigilators and other officials at the centre, so they alerted the police while allowing him to write the exam,” the official said.

He added that the duo were close friends for years and had studied together at a civil services coaching centre in Delhi previously.

Police said the imposter’s father is a farmer, while the original candidate’s father is a retired Haryana roadways employee.

On the exam centre head’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the duo under section 319(2) (cheating by personation) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sector-8 police station on Sunday. Both were forwarded to judicial custody after being produced before a court on Monday.