UPPSC examination: 51 arrested for facilitating cheating, Cops say question papers recovered were fake

Fifty-one people were arrested on Sunday on charges of allegedly trying to rig a UP Public Service Commission written examination held on the day.

Police said the question papers recovered from them were fake and that the accused had failed to derail Sunday’s examination to the post of assistant teacher (Licentiates teacher grade) attempted by around 8 lakh candidates vying for over 10,000 posts.

An STF official said, 34 persons were arrested from Lucknow, 12 from Allahabad, four from Kanpur and a lone from Agra. Among the arrested persons are 11 solvers, nine candidates, 31 middlemen and gang leaders which includes two private doctors, two pharmacists of government hospital, a teacher and a police constable, he said.

STF SSP Abhishek Singh said that accused had planned to leak the examination paper and placing solvers for the candidates. “The question paper recovered from their possession was fake. The examination was conducted successfully,” he said, adding that the arrested people were produced before court and were sent to judicial custody. Police are on the lookout for three others. Police claimed to have recovered 63 cellphones, over Rs 1 lakh and other items, including several Adhaar cards and ATM cards.

Among the accused, pharmacists Varun Kumar Singh and Dhirendra Singh are posted at government hospital in Kanpur and Allahabad, respectively; Dr Rajendra Kumar and Dr Shasheen Gupta are native of Lucknow, said police.

Another accused, Harish Chandra Singh is teacher at a inter college in Allahabad, while constable Satish Kumar is posted at 32 Battalion PAC in Lucknow, said police, adding that Kumar had been absent from duty for the last four years.

“During questioning, accused told police that candidates who were interested to use solvers were asked to pay hefty amounts. Other candidates who asked for question paper had to pay lesser,” said Abhishek.

“Om Sahay, who was arrested in Allahabad, was leading the gang who had arranged solvers for the candidates. Om Sahay had called solvers from Bihar,” said Singh added that other three gang leaders Ghanshyam Pal, Dev Narayan Yadav, Ajay Kumar had promised candidates to provide question paper. Pal, Dev Narayan and Ajay Kumar were held in Lucknow.
News Source (Indian Express)