2nd-rank holder among two in Patiala police net

No doubt the exam was rigged as one of three toppers has been arrested. Two others from the same examination centre will be quizzed.

VARUN SHARMA, Patiala senior superintendent of police

PATIALA: Patiala police on Friday arrested two persons, including the second-rank holder, in the naib tehsildar recruitment scam.

Balraj Singh had secured second rank in the exam, results of which were declared in October by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).

The second arrested person is Verinderpal Chaudhry, who was at 21st spot on the merit list.

Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Varun Sharma said, “No doubt the exam was rigged as one of three toppers has been arrested. Two others from the same examination centre are also under scanner and will be quizzed.”

Balraj had previously failed to crack two exams conducted by PPSC.

“During the interrogation, he confessed that he had struck a deal to secure the job through a Haryana-based racket,” the SSP said.

He said a report has been shared with the higher authorities wherein it has been duly verified that the exam was rigged by using latest gadgets, some probably made in China.

He said there is a clear direction from the state government not to spare any guilty, whosoever he be.

A first information report (FIR) under sections 419, 420, 465, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and 66D of the Information Technology Act has already been registered against the persons who had helped the candidates appearing for various government exams in exchange of huge amount of money.

The police had earlier arrested five persons – Navraaj Chaudhary, Jatinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh of Patiala and Sonu Kumar and Varjinder Singh of Haryana.

Officials privy to the investigation said the police had received inputs that not only the naib tehsildar exam, members of the racket had also rigged other tests conducted in Punjab and Haryana.

They had set up a control centre in Haryana to solve the papers, the officials added.

The police have so far recovered 11 global system for mobile communication (GSM) devices, seven mini-Bluetooth earplugs, 12 mobiles, one laptop and two pen drives used by the accused during the exam process.

They have yet to arrest at least seven more persons from Punjab and Haryana who were involved in the rigging process.