Itanagar: In a major crackdown on examination malpractice, police in Arunachal Pradesh have arrested 45 individuals from Haryana for allegedly using sophisticated electronic devices to cheat during a recruitment exam conducted by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS).
The arrests were made following suspicious behaviour observed by invigilators at two examination centres in the state capital during Sunday’s test, which was held for the recruitment of non-teaching staff, including positions such as staff nurse, catering assistant, and secretariat assistant.
Capital Superintendent of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh said that the accused had smuggled micro-electronic gadgets into the exam halls, concealing them inside their undergarments to evade standard security checks.
Once inside, they activated the devices to relay question paper set numbers to accomplices based in Haryana, who then transmitted the answers back in real time.
“Each candidate was linked with a dedicated handler. This was not a random act but a well-orchestrated and technologically coordinated cheating racket,” SP Singh stated.
Following the tip-off from invigilators, police teams conducted raids at the two centers and uncovered the use of the hidden devices.
A special team has since been sent to Jind, Haryana, to coordinate with local law enforcement as the investigation expands.
Preliminary findings suggest that this may not be an isolated incident. Authorities are probing whether similar operations were conducted in other regions across India.
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“We suspect the gang deliberately chose a remote location like Arunachal Pradesh, assuming that surveillance would be more relaxed. This points to a larger, organized network at play,” Singh added.
The NVS, which manages a nationwide chain of residential schools, regularly conducts recruitment drives to fill non-teaching roles at its schools, regional offices, and headquarters.
A deeper investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the cheating operation and to identify the masterminds behind the network.
