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STF busts exam cheating racket, arrests 13 in UPSSSC recruitment test
Two candidates were arrested from examination centres in Varanasi, while another accused was arrested in Prayagraj.
: The Special Task Force (STF), Varanasi unit, on Sunday busted an organised gang allegedly involved in facilitating cheating through electronic devices during the assistant boring technician main examination conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC). Thirteen people were arrested from different locations, and four electronic devices were recovered.
According to the STF, the gang was helping candidates cheat in the recruitment examination using concealed electronic devices. Two candidates were arrested from examination centres in Varanasi, while another accused was arrested in Prayagraj.
Candidate Vipin Kumar Verma was arrested from Harishchandra Balika Inter College, Maidagin, while Dharmendra Kumar was arrested from Anglo Indian Muslim Inter College, Lallapura, Sigra. The STF said the gang sent candidates into examination centres wearing micro electronic devices hidden inside their shirt collars and ears. These devices were used to relay answers to the candidates during the examination.
STF field inspectors Anil Kumar Singh and Raghavendra Singh identified the arrested persons as the alleged kingpin Kaptan Singh Patel, a resident of Kothari Ramgarh under Bahariya police station in Prayagraj, and Om Prakash Singh Patel.
The other accused were identified as Rakesh Kumar Patel, Ravikant Verma, Dharmendra Kumar Singh, Lalta Prasad alias Guddu, Anuj Kumar Pal, Shivprakash Patel, Manoj Kumar, candidate Vipin Kumar Verma of Raipur under Patti police station in Pratapgarh, candidate Dharmendra Kumar of Ramaipur Nevada under Patti police station, Chandar of Mudian Ka Pura under Lalganj police station in Pratapgarh, and Deepak Patel of Besar Salahpur under Patti police station in Pratapgarh.
The STF said separate cases under Sections 4, 8 and 13(1), 13(2) and 13(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, have been registered at Kotwali and Sigra police stations in Varanasi. Further legal action is being taken by the local police.
During interrogation, investigators found that the gang allegedly charged candidates several lakh rupees by promising to help them clear competitive examinations. Candidate Dharmendra Kumar allegedly transferred ₹3.75 lakh to Kaptan Singh Patel’s bank account and paid another ₹1.25 lakh in cash. Candidate Vipin Kumar Verma allegedly paid ₹5 lakh in cash along with ₹25,000 for the electronic devices used during the examination.
According to the STF, Shivjit Patel, brother of Kaptan Singh Patel, along with Deepak Patel and Rajendra Yadav, operated the organised cheating racket, with Shivjit Patel acting as its mastermind. Gang members allegedly approached candidates through relatives and acquaintances, promising government jobs by helping them pass examinations with the assistance of ‘solvers’.
The STF said that once the examination began, Rajendra Yadav allegedly arranged the question paper and passed it to Kaptan Singh Patel and Shivjit Patel. The paper was then solved by experts stationed at a secret location in Prayagraj, who were paid between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 for each paper. The answers were subsequently transmitted to candidates inside the examination centres through mobile phones and concealed earpieces.
