Government Jobs: 7 held over exam fraud

The police have busted a racket that helped candidates with ill intentions to cheat on recruitment tests for various government services.

The gang made deals with job seekers, charging hefty sums in exchange for answers fed directly into their ears from outside the exam halls via "electronic spy devices."

The Detective Branch (DB) on Saturday arrested seven members of the ring who had so far leaked questions for at least nine recruitment tests.

"Depending on the type of job, the gang made contracts with job seekers for up to Tk 8-10 lakh to help them cheat on their MCQ, written, and viva exams," DB Chief Harun Or Rashid told a press briefing yesterday.

The arrestees are Jewel Khan, 40, Rasel, 30, Mahmudul Hasan, 39, Abdur Rahman, 38, Ariful Islam, 35, Azharul Islam, 29, and Masum Hawlader, 25

They were arrested from Shahjahanpur and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar areas in the capital and Dhamrai upazila under Dhaka district.

Their conversations on WhatsApp revealed their involvement in leaking questions for at least nine recruitment tests, namely: primary assistant teacher recruitment (3rd stage), ticket collector (grade 2) and booking assistant (grade 2) at Bangladesh Railway, office assistant at Palli Sanchay Bank, office assistant at Tangail deputy commissioner's office, office assistant at fisheries department, accounts assistant and office assistant cum computer numerologist at public works department, office assistant at disaster management department, computer operator at land ministry, and assistant manager at Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company.

Harun said the gang amassed lakhs of taka by leaking questions and supplying answers through digital devices during recruitment tests.

HOW THEY DID IT

Jewel, the mastermind, supplied the spy devices and coordinated with other team members.

Rasel, Shakil, and Abdur Rahman distributed the devices and instructed candidates on their use.

Ariful, once the exam started, leaked the question papers and sent digital copies to a team of solvers waiting outside the exam halls.

The solver team would then quickly solve the questions and feed the answers to candidates inside the hall through electronic spy devices.

The DB Chief explained that GSM-enabled receivers [that can use SIM cards] were worn discreetly under clothing, which connected to earpieces that fit inside the candidate's ear for receiving answers.