TNN | May 1, 2017, 05.39 AM IST
UDAIPUR/JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Anti-Terrorist Squad on Sunday busted a major impersonation racket in BSTC examination and arrested 11 persons from different examination centers in Udaipur and Jalore on Sunday morning. Several forged documents, including Aadhaar cards were recovered during the inspection.
The sleuths of ATS and districts police nabbed five fake candidates from Udaipur examination center and six others were arrested from Jalore. The ATS arrested Prakash, Rajuram, Ganpat, Kamlesh and Suresh, all residents of Sanchore of Jalore district from Udaipur centers, while Krishna Ram, Madan Lal, Pyari Devi, Darshan Pal, Manju and Bhima Ram were arrested from Jalore district by local cops.
ATS's additional SP Ranu Sharma told TOI that examination was conducted by the Kota University. The ATS had received specific information about a widespread impersonation racket where candidates were attempting to write exams on behalf of others, using forged identification cards; a team was formed to raid the examination centers.
"The timing for the exams were scheduled between 2 and 5 PM. We waited till the candidates began filling their OMR sheets in order to catch them red-handed," Sharma told TOI, adding that accused in Udaipur were caught with fake Aadhaar cards from various examination centers under the jurisdiction of Dabok, Pratap Nagar, Hathipole and Ambamata police stations.
According to Sharma, one of the accused who was caught, confessed during the primary interrogation that his wife was also writing the exam in Jalore using a fake identification card. The ATS handed over the accused to police stations concerned for further investigation into the matter.
"We had the information about several candidates writing exams on forged papers. Therefor raids were conducted across several places simultaneously. We are zeroing in on the main kingpin of the scam who provided fake admit card and Aadhaar card to candidate," Ranu Sharma told TOI.
The candidates were offered money to impersonate another candidate, to avoid the vigil of the examination invigilators, the admit cards were carefully tampered with. Sharma told TOI that her team is also tracing the suspects who forged the documents.
"People who forged Aadhaar cards are being traced and the probe into the case is ongoing," she said.
Initially, the ATS had arrested three people from Jalore, but the district police too carried probe and booked six more person on the directions of district SP Kalyanmal Meena later in the day. The accused have been booked under section 420 (Cheating) 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation) of IPC and Rajasthan public examination (prevention of unfair means) act of 1992.
After the Rajasthan police's special operations group (SOG) exposed the question paper leak scam, the recent crackdown of ATS on impersonators sitting in Basic School Teaching Course (BSTC) is likely to see several more people being quizzed for their alleged role in the scam.