During the Pharmacy Officer examination held on Sunday (July 19) in Punjab Health Department, cheating was done through Bluetooth device. Centers were set up in Faridkot, Kotkapura and Firozpur for the examination of 454 pharmacy officers conducted for Baba Farid University.
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In this case, police have registered 3 FIRs in Faridkot and Firozpur. So far, 6 conspirators and 20 students have been arrested. Raids are being conducted to arrest four conspirators including Sajan, a resident of Bhiwani, Haryana.
Investigation has revealed that a candidate scanned the question paper with a pen and sent it to Haryana. From there the paper was sent to the paper solver of Rajasthan. After this, this copying was done through Bluetooth device from the control room set up in Faridkot. This gang had fixed an amount ranging from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh in the name of passing the examination.
Investigation revealed that the gang had prepared complete logistics and technical arrangements like any corporate company to carry out the copying. This is the first such case of hi-tech copying in Punjab. Out of the 7 main accused arrested, 3 are from Rajasthan and 2 are from Haryana.
After the completion of the pharmacist recruitment examination at Baba Farid Public School, the candidates did not come out for about two and a half hours. This enraged the parents waiting outside. Angry family members created a ruckus at the school gate and even tried to break the gate.
How to get copying done, know step by step…
- Morning hotel base: According to the police, early in the morning of the exam day, key members of the racket gathered at a hotel located on the Faridkot-Kotkapura road. Here all those candidates who had made the deal were called. These candidates were provided with special battery operated wireless micro devices (Bluetooth earbuds) and other spying devices which could easily be hidden inside the ears. They were also taught how to use and wear these devices.
- Entry into Examination Hall: Candidates entered the examination centers hiding these devices in their clothes and ears. The exam started at 11 am. After this, the examinees started working as per the instructions.
- Scanning with pen camera: Candidate Ayush, who was sitting at an examination center in Firozpur, had a hidden ‘pen camera’. Right after the exam started, he scanned the question paper with that pen camera.
- Interstate transfer through WhatsApp: Within just 10 minutes of the commencement of the examination, between 11:10 am and 11:25 am, Ayush sent the scanned question paper through WhatsApp to one of his colleagues ‘Saajan’ sitting in Bhiwani, Haryana.
- Forward to control room: Sajan from Bhiwani immediately forwarded that paper to another main kingpin ‘Deepak’ of Behror, Rajasthan. At that time, Deepak was sitting in a secret and temporary control room built in the house of Gurmeet Singh (mastermind) located in Society Nagar, Faridkot.
- Real-time dictation: In that control room of Faridkot, the main accused Manjeet Singh and Deepak together solved the question paper immediately. After this, he started dictating the correct answers in real-time directly to all the 28 candidates sitting inside the examination hall through mobile and wireless transmitters on their micro-devices fitted in their ears.
How they were caught, know step by step…
- Intelligence Input and Technical Monitoring: The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Punjab Police had already received input about the operation of an interstate gang that was planning to target government recruitment examinations. Cyber ​​and technical surveillance teams of the police were continuously monitoring suspicious mobile signals and data transfers.
- Formation of joint teams: As soon as the examination began, police received inputs of unusual wireless signals and suspicious digital activity in Faridkot and Ferozepur areas. Immediately the police of Faridkot Range and Ferozepur Range along with counter intelligence prepared a joint raid.
- Raid on control room: Based on technical input, a police team first suddenly raided Gurmeet Singh’s house in Society Nagar, Faridkot. There was a commotion as soon as the police were seen. Incidentally, solvers Manjeet Singh and Deepak, residents of Rajasthan, were caught red-handed, who were making the candidates write answers inside the examination hall by wearing headphones and transmitters.
- Panic in examination centres: Based on the input received from the control room and the list of candidates, other police teams directly raided the examination centers in Ferozepur and Faridkot. Those candidates sitting inside the examination hall, whose expressions were suspicious, were identified.
- 28 candidates and 27 devices recovered: When the police searched the suspected candidates, 27 working battery-operated wireless micro-devices and spy pen cameras were recovered from them. The main candidate Ayush (roll number 426347), who sent the paper through pen camera, was also caught red-handed from Ferozepur centre. A total of 28 candidates were taken into custody even before the end of the examination.
- Mastermind and operator from outside states arrested: The police immediately expanded the scope of action and arrested the mastermind of this racket, Gurmeet Singh (who is an employee of Sant Kabir Polytechnic College, Fazilka). With this, a total of 7 main operators associated with Rajasthan and Haryana were put behind bars. Police raids are still going on to arrest the remaining members of the gang including Bhiwani’s Saajan.
Know what the students said…
An acquaintance from the cricket academy connected to the network: The candidate, resident of Jhajjar, Haryana, says that I was connected to this network through an acquaintance from a cricket academy. Two days before the exam, I was instructed to collect the Bluetooth device from Jind Railway Station. According to the deal, it was decided to give Rs 8 lakh after getting the job. However, my earpiece fell off during the exam, due to which I could not hear the answers.
Answers to 20 questions were heard through earpiece The candidate, resident of Fazilka, Punjab, says that he met these brokers through a former classmate. In exchange of selection in a government job, Rs 13 lakh was asked from me and two blank checks were deposited as guarantee/security. On the morning of the exam, I was called to a hotel and given a Bluetooth device. About an hour after the exam started, I was told the answers to about 20 questions through the earpiece.
Private college operator gave assurance of job Two candidates from Tarn Taran and Sirsa say that a private college operator from Fazilka had assured them of getting a government job. He demanded lakhs of rupees in return for the selection and extorted signed and blank checks from us.
Know what the police said in this matter…
- Not a paper leak, a case of real-time copying: According to Faridkot Range DIG Nilambari Vijay Jagdale, this case is not a traditional paper leak. In this, after the commencement of the examination, answers were being made available by sending question papers out in real time.
- Paper sent on WhatsApp in 10-15 minutes: Investigation revealed that pictures of the question paper were sent out on WhatsApp within just 10 to 15 minutes of the commencement of the examination through a pen camera from an examination center in Firozpur.
- Control room made in the house: A rented house located in Society Nagar, Faridkot was made a temporary control room. At the same time, question papers were solved and answers were being sent to the candidates through wireless micro devices.
- Polytechnic College Employee Mastermind: In the preliminary investigation, an employee of a Polytechnic College located in Fazilka has emerged as the mastermind of this entire network.
- 2 ‘solvers’ from Rajasthan included: Two people from Rajasthan have been identified as ‘solvers’, who were sitting in the control room and dictating answers to the candidates.
- 3 FIRs registered, 26 accused arrested: Faridkot Range IG Nilambari Jagdale said that the team of Faridkot and Ferozepur Range Police and Counter Intelligence, in joint action, have busted the interstate counterfeiting racket. A total of 3 FIRs have been registered in this case. Of these, one FIR has been registered in Cyber ​​Crime Police Station Faridkot, while 2 FIRs have been registered in Cantt Police Station and Kulgarhi Police Station in Firozpur district. Out of the 26 accused arrested, 22 have been arrested by Faridkot Police and 4 by Ferozepur Police.
- Question papers scanned with the help of pen camera: A candidate from an examination center in Firozpur scanned the question paper with the help of a pen camera and sent it to Sajan, a resident of Bhiwani, Haryana. Sajan solved the questions and sent them to Gurmeet Singh of Society Nagar, where the accused had set up a temporary control room. From here, Manjeet Singh and Deepak of Rajasthan sent the solved answers to the candidates through Bluetooth device. Police have also recovered Bluetooth devices from most of the candidates.
- Involvement of examination center employee not found: IG Nilambari Jagdale said that till now the investigation has not revealed any question paper leak or involvement of any employee of the examination centre. Intensive investigation of the case is going on and no accused involved in this racket will be spared.
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