2 men from Haryana arrested for cheating in ISRO's recruitment test

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two men from Haryana have been arrested from here for allegedly cheating in a test conducted by the ISRO for recruiting technical staff for the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). They were caught from two different examination centres here while using unfair means to answer the test questions, a senior police officer said. The two were also impersonating the actual candidates, the officer said.

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The arrest was formally recorded late Sunday night, he said. Besides them, four other persons from the northern state were also in custody in connection with the incident, the officer said and added that whether they took the test or not was being investigated. "They are being questioned presently," he said. A case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and various other provisions of the IPC and the Information Technology Act has been lodged against them, police said.

"The two arrested persons will also be booked for impersonating the actual candidates," the officer said. Police said that they have informed VSSC that a case has been lodged in connection with the incident and it was up to them to decide whether to cancel the exam or not. The involvement of others, including coaching centres, was also being investigated, it added.

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The arrested candidates were using mobile phone cameras to take pictures of the questions and send them to someone elsewhere who gave them the answers on the bluetooth devices in their ears, police said. It also said that the two were caught pursuant to information received via an anonymous call from Haryana. The national-level recruitment test was held only in Kerala at 10 exam centres across the state, police said.