Cheating Racket Busted in Shimla During Navodaya Recruitment Exam, 40 Arrested – Accused from Other States

Shimla, May 18:
A major cheating racket was uncovered in Shimla on Sunday during the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti’s recruitment examination for various non-teaching posts. The operation exposed an organized attempt to manipulate the exam using advanced technology. Shimla Police have arrested 40 individuals, including 35 men and 5 women, all hailing from Haryana and neighboring states.

The accused have been booked under the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police have registered five FIRs across Sadar, Dhalli, New Shimla, and East Shimla police stations. According to the investigation, the accused arrived in Shimla in a coordinated manner, stayed at local hotels, and attempted to cheat using Bluetooth and other electronic devices during the examination.

Arrests Made Across Multiple Exam Centers

• At Chapslee School, Bharari (Sadar Police Station): Seven candidates were arrested, including Mohit (Bhiwani), Ashish (Rohtak), Manish Kumar (Jhajjar), Gaurav (Delhi), Reetu Devi (Hisar), Mohit Kumar (Bhiwani), and Shubham (Jind).

• At Central School for Tibetans: Two more — Ankit (Charkhi Dadri) and Sandeep (Bhiwani) — were arrested under the first FIR.

• At St. Edward’s School (Second FIR): Eleven candidates were caught with Bluetooth devices and mobile phones. Those arrested include Prince Sharma, Deepanshu, Monica, Sanjeev, Unique, Sahil, Gaurav, Palad, Kuldeep, Shivpal, and Mangat.

• At JCB Senior Secondary School, New Shimla: Eight individuals were arrested — Rakesh Kumar, Kulwinder, Mohit, Tarun, Praveen Kumar, Rocky, Parveen, and Amandeep. Identification documents like Aadhar and PAN cards were also recovered.

• At Saraswati Paradise School, Dhalli: Twelve more were caught, including Rahul (Hisar), Ajay (Fatehabad), Nitin (Sonipat), Sandeep Kumar (Mahendragarh), Akash (Bhiwani), Shivam (Delhi), Dinesh Nain (Jind), K.M. Kalpana (Sonipat), Monu (Baghpat), Pooja (Rajasthan), Ronam (Alwar), and others.

Bluetooth Devices Used to Transmit Answers

During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused had smuggled high-tech Bluetooth devices into exam centers to receive answers from handlers outside. Their suspicious behavior drew the attention of invigilators, leading to searches and recovery of the devices.

SIT Formed to Investigate the Network

To probe the matter in depth, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted under the supervision of Additional SP Ratan Negi. The eight-member team is examining the full scope of the racket—probing whether the group received local assistance and whether they were involved in similar operations in other states.

Shimla SSP Sanjeev Gandhi condemned the act, saying such incidents undermine the integrity of the examination system. He assured that the SIT would get to the bottom of the case and bring all those involved to justice. He further emphasized that anyone else found complicit during the investigation would face strict legal action.