In a significant breakthrough, Dehradun Police arrested Ayush Kumar Pathak, a Bihar youth, for impersonating a candidate in an ONGC recruitment exam. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had organized the exam for the position of Superintendent at ONGC Kendriya Vidyalaya, which took place on Sunday.
Pathak, a resident of Rohtas district, Bihar, appeared for the exam in place of Gautam Kumar Paswan, a candidate from Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The CBSE officials grew suspicious after a biometric mismatch during the evening shift exam, prompting a verification of the candidate’s records.
After being confronted, Pathak revealed that Pranav Kumar, a resident of Rajgir, Bihar, had promised him a large sum of money to impersonate the candidate. Following this, police arrested Kumar, the alleged kingpin of an inter-state gang specializing in exam frauds. Kumar had reportedly been involved in helping youths from Bihar and Jharkhand to cheat in competitive exams for a significant fee.
During further interrogation, Pathak admitted to having written exams for others in the past, including two other competitive exams. He also disclosed that Kumar had promised him Rs3 lakh for his role in the ONGC exam fraud.
On Sunday, Kumar took Pathak to Dehradun, handed him Paswan’s admit card, and directed him to the exam center, while Kumar stayed behind at the hotel. Once Pathak was arrested, Kumar attempted to locate him at the exam center, only to be arrested himself.
Police later recovered Rs1 lakh in cash, which Kumar had taken from Paswan, along with three mobile phones. The investigation revealed that Kumar had arranged a Rs10 lakh deal with Paswan to ensure his success in the exam. Paswan had already paid Rs1 lakh in cash and Rs25,000 via Paytm, with the remaining Rs8.75 lakh promised after his appointment.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are examining whether the gang had a wider network involved in similar fraud activities.
