Two Delhi Police constables among nine held for fraud in competitive examinations

Two Delhi Police constables were among the nine people held by the Noida police on Saturday for allegedly operating a gang, which provided scribes for writing competitive examinations in place of real candidates.

According to police officials, a call was received on the police helpline number at 8.15am from an examination centre in Sector 62, complaining that the invigilator had caught three people for impersonating candidates for a Delhi police entrance examination.

“A team from Sector 58 police station rushed to the examination site, and the three candidates were taken into custody. Upon questioning, they revealed details of a racket in which several other people were involved,” said Luv Kumar, joint commissioner of police, law and order.

The mastermind of the racket was identified as one Ravi Kumar, who was posted as an inspector with the income tax department. His nephew, Dinesh Jogi, who was also a part of the gang, was nabbed on Saturday.

“Jogi claims to be an ASO (assistant section officer) for the ministry of defence, who is waiting for his joining letter after taking his examination in 2017 through the same fraudulent method. He runs the gang on the behalf of his uncle’s. His accomplice, Arvind, is also an ASO for the home ministry and worked for the gang. He would bring in both candidates, looking for someone to take examinations on their behalf, and scribes looking to earn quick money,” said assistant commissioner of police, Zone 1, Rajneesh Verma.

The fake scribes were identified as constables Manjeet Singh (batch of 2018, currently suspended) and Ravindra Kumar (2008 batch). Police officials said that they took help from their relatives to act as solvers on behalf of candidates and would keep aside their uniforms to avoid suspicion.

“The suspects used a mobile application that would produce a photograph similar to the candidates. Using this they would develop a fake identity card which would then be used for online competitive exams,” said Kumar.

A candidate was also among the nine people held by police on Saturday. Police officials said that the gang has already impersonated at least 100 candidates over the past three years for different exams.

“Their fees also varied from one examination to another but on average they charged ₹10 lakh per candidate which they distributed among themselves,” said Kumar.

Noida Police has also recovered incriminating chats between the suspects along with voice recordings in their phones discussing plans for the operation.

“There are several other people involved in the scam. We are working on tracing them. We will also identify the examinees who have used their services,” said Verma.

The suspects were booked for fraud and forgery along with relevant sections of the UP Public Examinations Act.

Several sets of fake documents, mobile phones and ₹2.1 lakh were recovered from their possession. Police officials said the suspects will be taken into custody for further investigation.

Despite repeated attempts, a spokesperson from Delhi Police could not be reached for comment on the matter.