In a startling incident straight out of a thriller, two sisters were arrested in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, after orchestrating a high-tech cheating scam during the PWD Sub-Engineer recruitment exam on Sunday.
The whistleblower was a vigilant taxi driver who grew suspicious of the girls’ gadgets and informed NSUI activists, leading to the bust.
The accused, 21-year-old Annu and her 19-year-old sister Anuradha from Jashpur district, used a sophisticated setup: Annu hid a spy camera in her undergarments and a micro earpiece in her earring to transmit exam questions live. Meanwhile, Anuradha, stationed in an auto-rickshaw nearby, relayed answers using a tablet, walkie-talkie, and Bluetooth devices.
The recruitment exam, held at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Sarkanda, attracted over 14,000 candidates for 113 Sub-Engineer vacancies. However, the cheating scandal quickly grabbed headlines for its audacity and tech-savvy approach.
The taxi driver, suspicious when Anuradha began assembling gadgets in his vehicle, refused to cooperate and alerted NSUI leader Vikas Singh Thakur. NSUI volunteers confronted the sisters, recording videos of their suspicious activity and uncovering an arsenal of communication devices.
Meanwhile, inside the exam hall, invigilators, tipped off by NSUI activists, frisked Annu and found the spy camera and earpiece. She had already completed nearly 100 questions before being caught, raising concerns about the scam’s extent.
Police filed a formal case under the IT Act, fraud, and criminal conspiracy against the sisters. Investigations reveal the gadgets were bought online, and authorities are probing the existence of a larger cheating network and potential security lapses at exam centers.
The Chhattisgarh government has taken a strict stance, labeling the incident as “organized electronic malpractice” and vowing zero tolerance.
The scandal sparked political uproar, with NSUI leaders demanding a thorough investigation across all exam centers. NSUI State President Neeraj Pandey accused officials of negligence and alleged possible political shelter for such scams.
