VSSC cancels ISRO test after Kerala police nab 2 from Haryana for cheating

The 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 Indian Space Research Organisation for recruiting technical staff for the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. 

The police said they have urged Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre 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, the police officials said.

The two persons who were caught red-handed while cheating have been arrested, and four others from Haryana, who were allegedly in Thiruvananthapuram 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 impersonation," Ajith said.

Regarding the technique used by the two, the officer said button cameras were used to scan the questions which were sent to someone elsewhere using the mobile phones. Thereafter, the answers were received by the two through small listening devices inside their ears, he said.

"All this equipment will be sent for forensic examination. We have also taken their call records. They came by flight to take the test," he further said.

As 469 candidates had applied for the test from Haryana and most of them turned up for it -- and have probably returned home -- a team would be sent to that state in connection with the investigation, Ajith said.

"We will get in touch with senior officers of Haryana police and the investigating team will go there as part of the probe," he said.

He said that as a large number of candidates had come from one particular place to Kerala for a test, and some manipulations were carried out, police will need to ascertain whether any coaching centres are also involved in the "racket".

"Therefore, a full fledged investigation has been launched," the DCP said.

The officer, meanwhile, did not blame the VSSC for the alleged loopholes in their system that led to the cheating.

Ajith said that while national recruiting agencies are more experienced at holding tests, when such individual agencies (like VSSC) do it, "there can be problems".

"I do not intend to blame anyone. I just hope they will rectify the problems and that in future they will adopt the protocols used by the more experienced agencies," he said.

The arrest of the two accused was formally recorded late Sunday night, the police 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," officials said.

The national-level recruitment test was held only in Kerala at 10 exam centres across the state, the police added.