n a swift pre-emptive move, Uttarakhand Police arrested Hakam Singh, a notorious leader of a major exam cheating racket, along with his accomplice Pankaj Gaur, just a day before a critical written exam for graduate-level posts conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC).
The duo was detained in Dehradun on Saturday for allegedly attempting to defraud six candidates by promising guaranteed success in the upcoming exam in exchange for Rs 12 to Rs 15 lakh each.
The breakthrough came after a joint operation by Dehradun Police and the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF), which had been monitoring suspicious activity closely.
Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh stated, “Aware of the potential for anti-social elements to exploit the UKSSSC examination, both the police and STF placed suspects under intense scrutiny.” He added that confidential intelligence two days prior had revealed the syndicate’s efforts to extract large sums from candidates under false pretenses.
Uttarakhand STF SSP Navneet Bhullar assured, “There is no compromise on the integrity and confidentiality of the upcoming exam in this case.” He elaborated that interrogation revealed the accused planned to defraud candidates regardless of exam outcomes—keeping money if candidates cleared exams on merit, or coercing them further by promising “adjustments” for future tests if they failed.
Hakam Singh is infamous as Uttarakhand’s most prolific exam paper leak orchestrator. Previously jailed for 13 months before securing Supreme Court bail, his racket has devastated aspirants since July 2022. His activities led to multiple exam cancellations, including the graduate-level recruitment exam on December 5, 2021, the online Forest Inspector exam in July 2021, and the Secretariat Guard exam in September 2021.
His network’s exposure resulted in annulments of exams for various posts such as vehicle drivers, instructors, fisheries inspectors, and police ranks.
This time, Hakam faces charges under the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination Ordinance 2023, which imposes stringent penalties—life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 10 crore for organized cheating or paper leaks. The law is cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable, targeting individuals and institutions involved in the examination process.
Hakam’s past schemes included direct leaks from printing presses and sophisticated breaches of online exams. Notably, his leak of the online Forest Inspector exam, affecting over 83,000 candidates, forced UKSSSC to discontinue online exams altogether.
With this arrest, authorities signal a determined crackdown on exam fraud, reinforcing efforts to uphold fairness in Uttarakhand’s recruitment processes.
