HISAR: After the arrest of a few youths with electronic equipment during the written examination conducted by Haryana Staff Selection Committee (HSSC) for the post of village secretary, police revealed that the accused were connected with a Sonipat gang.
Police arrested Ashish, a resident of Juan village of Sonipat and Ankit, a resident of Bhatana Jafrabad village, Sonipat and produced them in court on Monday, from where they were remanded in two-day police custody.
Yashpal alias Sandeep, a resident of Tokas village in Hisar, Jagbir, a resident of Matloda village, Praveen and Rupesh, both residents of Kirori village, were also remanded in judicial custody.
Sources said during the written examination of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission on January 9, centre superintendent Smita Agarwal of St Kabir School at Dabra road in Hisar caught Praveen Kumar, a resident of Kirori village with electronic equipment and informed the police. A case of cheating was registered. During investigations, Praveen said he had purchased the device online to cheat in the exam and had obtained the answer key from Ravindra, a resident of Bhatana Jafrabad village in Sonipat via WhatsApp.
When police interrogated Ravindra, it was found that he took the answer key from Ankit, who took it from Ashish. They had also provided wireless sets to Praveen to cheat in the examination, police said. In addition to Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, police added sections 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document [document or electronic record]), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 66-D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the IT Act.
During investigation, it was found that Yashpal alias Sandeep, a resident of Tokas village, had the contract to install a mobile jammer in the examination centre and he hired Rupesh, a resident of Kirori village, as jammer operator. Rupesh went inside the examination centre and provided electronic equipment to Praveen for cheating, police said.
Yashpal also helped Praveen get the answer key from Ravindra while Jagbir, a resident of Kirori village and Pradeep, a resident of Matloda village helped Praveen from a car parked outside the examination centre.
“Amit of Kheri Chopta village, was arrested with a gadget on January 10 for impersonating candidate Rakesh Kumar of Hindwan village. After interrogation, Naveen of Hindwan was also arrested,” police said.