Now, STF detects anomalies in exams for other UPPCL posts
LUCKNOW : After arresting 12 people on Wednesday for anomalies found in online examination for recruitment of 226 junior engineers (electrical) of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), the UP Special Task Force detected irregularities in online exams for recruitment on 2,849 other posts of assistant review officers, additional personal secretary, stenographers and office assistants.
The STF is likely to recommend cancellation of all online examinations for different posts of UPPCL conducted by Aptech, a private IT company on different dates in February this year.
Moreover, some employees of Aptech are likely to be arrested after substantial clues against them for their involvement in the online examination scam.
STF senior superintendent of police (SSP) Abhishek Singh confirmed that the anomalies were detected in seven online examinations for different posts of UPPCL conducted by Aptech in February. “Initially we had complaint regarding anomalies in the examination of junior engineers but cross-questioning of 12 people, who were arrested on Wednesday, revealed that unfair means were used in online examinations for six other posts,” he emphasised.
He said the admit cards of the examinees were also found with the arrested people which clearly hinted towards anomalies in other exams too.
The SSP said the posts whose online recruitment examination are under scanner included 2,296 posts of office assistant, 30 office assistants (accounts), 217 stenographers, 66 assistant review officers, 10 additional personal secretary and 4 additional personal secretary (departmental). He said these online examinations were held between February 8 and 24 this year. Total 1,94,166 examinees had appeared in these examinations, he added.
ON WEDNESDAY, STF CLAIMED TO HAVE BUSTED A SCAM IN THE ONLINE EXAMINATION CONDUCTED FOR RECRUITING 226 JR ENGINEERS OF UPPCL.
He said the special investigation team (SIT) of STF is analysing the quantum of anomalies in these online examinations and would further recommend the state government for its cancellation. The SSP said the probe so far also suggested that there was no supervision of UPPCL authorities over examination process after granting its tender to Aptech. And the Aptech people violated safety norms in conducting the examination process, he added.
On Wednesday, the SIT had arrested 12 people including managers of two city schools, Gyanendra Yadav, manager of JK Public School in Kannausi, Manaknagar, Amit Singh, manager of Mahaveer Prasad Degree College at Alambagh, which served as centres for the online examination, four examinees, a software installer and five others. The STF said the arrested people revealed that they had procured multiple crores from examinees for favouring them. The probe into the matter was initiated on the order of chief minister’s office after receiving multiple complaints of anomalies in online examination.
DENTIST TURNED KEY OPERATIVE
Manager and owner of Mahaveer Prasad Degree College at Alambagh, Amit Singh, who is a dentist, was finding this business so profitable that he shunned medical practice and was completely into running the college and holding such online examinations on its premises for past five years. The SSP said the dentist might have been part of few other online examination scams.
SUSPECTED MASTERMINDS
A Varanasi resident Parminder and a Jaunpur resident are turning out to be the mastermind behind the entire scam. SSP STF Abhishek Singh said the two accused are still at large and suspected to be organising such online paper leak for past few years. He said the duo is also suspected to be associated with another key operative from Bihar.
TRACKING LEAK POINT
The STF had also sought log details of data sharing from Aptech’s main server based in Malegaon to identify at which point the data was leaked.