SHIMLA, MAY 19: A major cheating racket has been unearthed during the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) recruitment exam in Shimla, with police detaining over three dozen candidates for using electronic gadgets and impersonators to clear the test.
Police on Monday said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an Additional SP-rank officer has been formed to probe the incident, which took place during Sunday’s exam for non-teaching posts. Preliminary findings suggest that candidates paid between ₹4 lakh and ₹12 lakh to handlers, raising suspicions about the involvement of a professional gang.
Most of the accused are reportedly from Haryana and were found with bluetooth devices and spy earpieces. At least 40 such candidates were caught at the New Shimla examination centre alone.
One impersonator, identified as Sandeep Kumar of Haryana, was arrested for writing the exam in place of Ajay Kumar. He was caught after a mismatch was found between his appearance and the documents submitted.
In Dehradun as well, 17 candidates were allegedly found using similar electronic cheating devices, prompting wider scrutiny.
Five FIRs have been registered so far in Shimla, and investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the racket.
