A lab attendant at Delhi University’s Lady Irwin College was among seven people arrested for allegedly running an interstate cheating racket in government recruitment examinations. The alleged mastermind, Sonu Kumar, has been working as a fireman in Chandigarh since 2022.
The case came to light on May 26 after two candidates, a 23-year-old man identified as Hemant and a 24-year-old woman, were caught cheating during a Lower Division Clerk (LDC) recruitment examination conducted by the Central Sanskrit University in Delhi. After the two candidates were caught, police registered a case under Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3, 4, 10 and 11 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, at Janakpuri police station. Both candidates were arrested, and the electronic devices were seized. The subsequent investigation eventually uncovered what they describe as a ‘larger organised network’.
The police identified 31-year-old fireman Sonu Kumar, alias Sonu Maan, as the alleged kingpin of the racket. They recovered customised mobile phones, Bluetooth devices fitted with SIM cards, nano earpieces, a tablet linked to a foreign WhatsApp account, and other electronic devices and incriminating documents.
The investigation led to the arrest of 30-year-old Sanni, a lab attendant at Lady Irwin College. Police alleged that Sanni served as a middleman, linking candidates to the racket’s kingpin in return for a commission. During questioning, he named another alleged member of the racket, Deepak, 26, and told the police that a deal involving a woman candidate had been fixed for ₹8 lakh
“Hemant’s interrogation revealed that his 30-year-old brother, Rinku, had arranged the Bluetooth device and SIM card through a man identified as Virender for ₹12 lakh to enable him to receive answers from outside the examination hall. Accordingly, Rinku and Virender, 38, were arrested. The woman candidate allegedly disclosed that her friend, Sanni, had given her the devices to transmit the question paper and receive answers. The deal was fixed for ₹10 lakh,” said Deputy Commissioner of police (West) Hareshwar V Swami.
A senior official at Lady Irwin College said the administration was aware that Sanni had not been reporting for duty but had no information about the case.
“Sanni works as a lab attendant in the Department of Food and Nutrition. However, he has been absent for the past 10 to 12 days without applying for leave. After the department informed the administration, we contacted him seeking an explanation for his prolonged absence. A family member later visited the college and informed us that Sanni was unwell,” the official said.
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Image credits: NDTV
Kaustubh Dwivedi
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