Punjab Newsline | Faridkot
Punjab Police have uncovered a sophisticated cheating racket during the recruitment examination for 454 Pharmacy Officer posts conducted by the Health and Family Welfare Department on Sunday. Seven alleged facilitators and 28 candidates have been detained, while 27 battery-operated wireless devices were recovered during the operation.
According to the investigation, the network was helping 42 candidates cheat online at examination centres in Faridkot, Ferozepur and Kotkapura. Of these, 14 candidates reportedly left the examination centres before the test concluded. Police clarified that the question paper was not leaked and that no role of the examination authorities or government officials has emerged so far.
Investigators said the operation began minutes after the exam started, when a candidate identified as Ayush allegedly used a pen camera to photograph the question paper and sent the images via WhatsApp to Sajan, a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana. The paper was then forwarded to Deepak, based in Kotputli-Behror, Rajasthan.
Deepak, along with Manjeet Singh, allegedly prepared the answers from a temporary control room set up at the Faridkot residence of Gurmeet Singh in Society Nagar. The answers were then transmitted in real time to candidates inside examination halls through Bluetooth-enabled wireless devices.
Acting on intelligence inputs, police detained Gurmeet Singh, who allegedly admitted that the network was assisting 42 candidates. Raids were subsequently carried out at examination centres in the three cities, leading to the detention of 28 candidates. Investigators identified Gurmeet Singh, an employee of Sant Kabir Polytechnic College in Fazilka, as the alleged mastermind of the operation.
Police said the entire cheating process occurred after the examination had begun, and therefore it does not qualify as a paper leak. Instead, the racket relied on photographing the question paper, transmitting it digitally, solving it remotely and relaying answers back through wireless communication devices.
The gang allegedly charged candidates between ₹3.5 lakh and ₹13 lakh to ensure success in the examination. Investigators also found that several candidates had provided post-dated cheques as payment.
Those detained include Gurmeet Singh (Faridkot), Manjeet Singh (Jhunjhunu), Deepak and Sunil Kumar (Kotputli-Behror), Satnam Singh (Guruharsahai), Balwant Singh (Haryana), and another accused from Bhiwani.
Police said 28 of the 42 candidates have been detained, while the remaining 14 have been identified and will be questioned as part of the investigation. Efforts are underway to trace absconding accused, including Sajan of Bhiwani.
Faridkot Range Inspector General Neelambari Jagdale said the university has provided a list of the 28 detained candidates, whose roles are being examined. A formal case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act will be registered upon receipt of a written complaint. She added that preliminary findings indicate the involvement of external operatives, and more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
