Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], August 22 : Six people, including a professor and five students, of a private college in Durg district were arrested for allegedly being involved in the question paper leak of the government-run Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) here, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The accused professor allegedly captured the questions by inserting an endoscopic camera in a sealed envelope, according to the police probe.
The investigation revealed that the professor was tasked with collecting the question paper from the university. He allegedly took the sealed envelope, made a small hole at the bottom, inserted an endoscopy camera, and scanned the entire paper. He then manually transcribed the content and copied 15 questions to sell to students.
The question paper of entomology was cancelled after the leak came to light on August 20, police said, adding Interrogation further revealed that the professor had leaked another paper, Plant Pathology, on August 7 using the same method.
According to DCP (Crime) Smruthik Rajanala, the incident came to light after the Controller of Examinations reported a suspected leak. Taking immediate cognisance of the matter, a joint team comprising local police and the crime branch launched an investigation into the matter. During the probe, based on leads from students who received the leaked paper, police traced the breach back to a professor based in Durg. Police subsequently arrested six individuals, including the professor and five students who obtained the paper.
Police are currently investigating the potential involvement of others in the network. Authorities will also question the college principal and deans regarding security protocols and how they were breached.
"On the 20th, a case came to light at the Agricultural University where the Controller of Examinations reported an Entomology paper leak and brought the information to us. Taking immediate cognisance of the incident, a joint team comprising local police and the crime branch launched an investigation. Through leads obtained from students who had received the paper, we discovered that a professor from Durg had the duty of carrying the question paper from the university," Rajanala told ANI.
He elaborated, "A professor from the university was responsible for transporting the question paper from the university in a sealed envelope. He made a small hole at the bottom of the envelope, inserted an endoscopic camera to scan the entire paper, manually transcribed 15 questions, and sold these copied questions to students. We traced the case back to the students who had obtained the paper. In total, we have arrested six individuals: the professor and five students who received the paper," he added.
Further details are awaited.