Kerala police launches full-fledged probe into cheating in ISRO recruitment exam; urges VSSC to cancel test

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Kerala police on Monday launched a full-fledged investigation into the alleged impersonation and cheating by two persons from Haryana in a test conducted by ISRO for recruiting technical staff for the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). Police said they have urged VSSC to cancel the test. As more than 400 candidates from a single state — Haryana — had taken the test, there are suspicions over whether coaching centres may be involved.

An investigating team will be sent to Haryana to collaborate with the state's police for the probe, police officials said. The two persons who were caught red-handed while cheating have been arrested, and four others from Haryana, who were allegedly here for the test, are in police custody, DCP Law and Order Ajith V said. «They are being questioned to find out whether they were part of the racket which may also involve some coaching centres in the northern state,» he said.

The two accused had come by flight from Haryana to Kerala for the test. «We have also given a request to VSSC to cancel the test,» he told a TV channel. Giving details of how the police came to know about the cheating, the senior IPS officer said that on Sunday — the day of the test — anonymous calls were received at the Special Branch office and the Museum police station informing them that some manipulation will happen during the exam as some candidates have taken mobile phones into the centres.

«The information was passed on to the invigilators and, on verifying the same, they caught two persons — from two centres — red-handed,» the officer said. He said that when the names and addresses of the two were checked, it was found they were different from the candidates who had actually applied. «So it was also a case of