Man impersonates friend at Isro exam, caught red-handed

CHENNAI: A 24-year-old man from Haryana was arrested for impersonating his friend at an examination held for a clerical post at Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

On Sunday, around 2,800 candidates attended the national-level examination conducted at a deemed university in Semmancheri. The man has been identified as Ajay; he was impersonating his friend Manish.

Police said around 12.45pm, the invigilator stopped near Ajay who was trying to hide an object. When the invigilator asked him to hand it over, Ajay refused. But the invigilator frisked him and found a phone from which he was sending photos of the question paper to his accomplices who were sending him answers.

When the examiner checked the hall ticket, he found that the photograph did not match Ajay's face. They learnt that the original candidate, Manish, did not attend the examination and it was his friend Ajay who had been sent in instead. "The examination was about to end when the invigilator caught the candidate red-handed," said an investigating officer.

The university staff informed ISRO officials in Sriharikota and K Udhyakiran, administrative officer, handed over Ajay to the Semmancheri police. Police, who booked Ajay for cheating and impersonation, have launched a hunt to nab Manish.