Chhattisgarh: Job aspirant and her sister held for hi-tech cheating in sub-engineer exam

Bilaspur, July 14 (PTI) The arrest of a female job aspirant and her sister, who coordinated from an autorickshaw, has busted a hi-tech fraud during the Chhattisgarh VYAPAM exam, leading to the recovery of a camera hidden in clothes, a microphone, and a walkie-talkie, police said on Monday.

After the duo was arrested in Bilaspur district, the Congress alleged a big scam under the Chhattisgarh Vyavsayik Pariksha mandal (CG VYAPAM) examination and demanded a CBI inquiry.

Police seized seven electronic devices, including mobile phones, a walkie-talkie, micro earphones, and a secret camera, on Sunday from Annu Surya, who appeared for the exam at a government school, and her sister Anuradha, who coordinated from an autorickshaw outside.

The CG-VYAPAM conducted the recruitment examination for posts of Sub Engineer (Civil) and Sub Engineer (Electrical/Mechanical) (for the state's Public Works Department), an official added.

"NSUI activists spotted a girl (Anuradha) acting suspiciously in an autorickshaw outside the examination centre and informed police," said Bilaspur District Congress Committee (Urban) chief Vijay Pandey.

Subsequently, Annu Surya was checked, leading to the recovery of a camera hidden in her clothes and a microphone, an official said.

Authorities recovered a walkie-talkie, a computer tablet, a Bluetooth device and a mobile phone from Anuradha who was present outside the examination centre premises to assist in cheating. This is an organised attempt to cheat using electronic devices, he added.

A police officer said Anuradha had hatched a conspiracy to ensure her sister cleared the recruitment exam.

Anuradha is well-versed in operating electronic devices. She purchased walkie-talkies, micro earphones, computer tablets and other electronic devices working on the same frequency online. The duo practised with devices for 3-4 days before Annu appeared for the exam, he said.

During the examination, Annu used the hidden camera to transmit questions in real-time using the electronic devices. Anuradha, who was sitting in the auto rickshaw, searched for answers on the Internet and communicated them to her sister using a walkie-talkie connected to the micro earphone, said Nilesh Pandey, Station House Officer.

He said the sisters were arrested under sections 318 (2) (cheating), 112 (2) (organised crime) and 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and under the provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Chhattisgarh Examination Act.

The accused are natives of Jashpur district.

He stated that Annu Surya had cleared the engineering examination from Korea and is currently working as a teacher at a school in Jashpur, while her younger sister Anuradha is studying in the UT of Andaman and Nicobar.

Meanwhile, the administration prepared a cheating case as per the rules and sent it to CG VYAPAM.

NSUI and Congress workers staged a protest demanding stern action. PTI Cor TKP NSK