2 pilots held for rigging DGCA exam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three persons, including two pilots working with private airlines, for allegedly orchestrating the leakage of the question paper of a test conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for commercial pilot licences (technical).

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three persons, including two pilots working with private airlines, for allegedly orchestrating the leakage of the question paper of a test conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for commercial pilot licences (technical).

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Besides the pilots - H Malhotra and Sidharth Chaudhary - one Lalit Jain has also been arrested. Jain allegedly distributed the question paper to many candidates in lieu of lakhs of rupees.

Malhotra, a senior pilot, whose assistance the DGCA had taken to vet the question paper allegedly stole it from the office of DGCA's chief examination officer and gave it to Jain, said a CBI source. The test was conducted on March 15.

"Malhotra is a senior pilot and was recently promoted. Though he gets a monthly salary of R5 lakh, he agreed to rig the test for R13 lakh," said the source. He said, "Chaudhary knew Malhotra and agreed to help him free of cost," said the source.

"We suspect that one of the two pilots was involved in rigging the DGCA exams in the past too," said the source. The source added that the DGCA had cancelled the examination's results after it was detected that the test was rigged. It, then, requested the CBI to conduct a probe.

"The partially-vetted question paper was stolen from DGCA's chief examination officer's office and passed to several candidates and the three accused. We are probing the role of several DGCA officials," said the source.

The three accused have been booked under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy and fraud.