Gangs of solvers prefer using women proxy candidates: Police

Trend discovered after arrest of six women solvers during UP TET 2018

LUCKNOW : Solvers’ gangs are increasingly preferring to hire women proxy candidates during various admission / recruitment examinations, said police. Cops said the trend emerged as women candidates had traditionally been viewed with less suspicion of being involved in illegal means of clearing examinations when compared to men.

Gangs used to find it easier escaping the police radar if they hired women solvers, said UP Special Task Force (STF) officials, adding that the pattern was discovered after six women proxy candidates were arrested in different districts of the state during the UP Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) -- 2018 conducted at 2,070 centres on Sunday.

“Women solvers are the new challenge for police agencies involved in nabbing proxy candidates

during recruitment and competitive examinations,” said UP STF senior superintendent of police (SSP) Abhishek Singh.

He said the trend made sense, as, so far, police personnel had paid little attention to vetting women candidates. “The arrest of six women solvers (during UP TET) has alerted the agencies to the importance of being equally careful in cross-checking credentials of women candidates as that of men. Earlier, women examinees were not seen with as

much suspicion of being involved in such types of activities,” said Singh.

The SSP said the key accused part of the alleged solvers’ gangs unearthed in Hardoi and Moradabad revealed during interrogation that the racketeers had begun roping in more women solvers as the number of females appearing in different examinations had gone up. “The gangs now prefer using women proxies. This is also because women solvers usually charge less than their male counterparts,” he said.

“We will apprise senior police authorities about this trend. Proper directions need to be communicated to all district police chiefs about thoroughly cross-checking the credentials of both male and female examinees,” said the SSP.

Superintendent of police, Hardoi, Alok Priyadarshi said that those arrested in connection with UP TET had revealed about the involvement of at least three more women solvers. “However, these three did not turn up for writing the paper. It is possible they came to know about the police raid or they got cold feet at the last minute,” said the SP.

To recall, the STF and different district police units busted two solvers’ gangs in Moradabad and Hardoi during the UP TET -- 2018 on Sunday and arrested 32 people.

The STF busted a gang in Moradabad and arrested six people, while Hardoi police nabbed eight. In Allahabad, three women proxy candidates were arrested from different centres. The first arrest was made at VD Memorial Inter-College in Dhoomanganj where one Sunita Devi was found to be appearing for a candidate Seema Devi. The second woman solver, identified as Pratima Tripathi, was arrested from Yadgare Husain Inter-College in Shahganj. She was appearing in place of one Farheen. The third woman solver arrested was identified as Rekha Devi.

Another woman solver identified as Lalita Devi, appearing in place of candidate Sadhna Devi, was arrested at Janta Inter-College in Shravasti. Two more women proxy candidates, Suchitra Devi and Sharifunisha, were arrested from Badohi and Mahrajganj respectively.