E-Paper
How ‘micro’ bluetooth devices and lax checks due to Covid helped run an exam cheating racket
New Delhi An exam cheating racket busted in outer-north Delhi a few weeks ago was made feasible due to lax physical checking at exam centres owing to the Covid pandemic and use of face masks to hide sophisticated bluetooth devices, police said, adding that they have arrested seven persons involved in facilitating the cheating
New Delhi
An exam cheating racket busted in outer-north Delhi a few weeks ago was made feasible due to lax physical checking at exam centres owing to the Covid pandemic and use of face masks to hide sophisticated bluetooth devices, police said, adding that they have arrested seven persons involved in facilitating the cheating.
The alleged cheating racket unravelled on February 28 when the Delhi Police received a tip-off that some aspirants for the job of peon at the Tis Hazari court were using bluetooth devices while taking the competitive examination at a school in Shahbad Dairy. Police caught three candidates who had covered their bluetooth mics under their masks, said Rajeev Ranjan, deputy commissioner of police (outer-north).
While they were initially unable to locate the earpiece, a doctoral examination later revealed “micro” audio devices hidden in the ears of the candidates. Police said the audio devices used in the racket were not the usual ones available in the market and were specially procured to carry out the crime.
A subsequent probe eventually led to the arrest of a man from north Delhi’s Burari who worked as a peon for the Haryana government. “This peon revealed that he too obtained the job by similar means. We are verifying that,” said Ranjan.
According to the DCP, the peon, after getting the job, saw an opportunity for cheating using these tiny bluetooth devices which could be easily hidden inside masks. “The gang also noticed that searching and frisking of candidates at examination centres were being avoided due to the pandemic,” said the DCP.
He allegedly had a network of people who would help the candidates with answers from outside the examination centre. “Candidates for the court peon exam were charged ₹7 lakh each,” said Ranjan.
While police went on to arrest six more of his associates, apart from the three candidates, they have not revealed the names of the accused as they fear it may alert the others involved in the racket. While the peon allegedly appeared to be a central figure in the racket, police said the mastermind is still absconding.
According to police, the arrested peon would allegedly scout for prospective applicants not only among his contacts in the government sector, but also through his Youtube channel which promised help in cracking the exams.
The use of a SIM card registered using fake documents and posing as an exam consultant allegedly helped the peon use the Youtube channel without fear of getting caught.
