A 28-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday at Islamia Girls Inter College in Bareilly for allegedly appearing in the Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) examination on behalf of another candidate for a fee of Rs 1.5 lakh. The fraud was detected during biometric verification when the thumb impression and iris scan of the accused, identified as Pramod Kumar, a resident of Azamgarh, failed to match the records of the registered candidate, Vimal Pratap Singh of Farrukhabad.
Arrest and Confession
Pramod was taken into custody shortly after the discrepancy was noticed. During questioning, he admitted to impersonating the candidate and told police that he had already received an advance payment from Vimal, while the remaining amount was to be paid after the examination was cleared. Kotwali SHO Rajeev Kumar said, “Preliminary questioning has revealed that Pramod may have appeared in previous examinations in a similar manner and could be part of an organised solver gang.”
Legal Action
Police have registered an FIR under BNS sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), and 340 (forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine). Authorities are now searching for Vimal Pratap Singh, the candidate who allegedly hired Pramod to take the exam on his behalf.
Official Warning
ADM (City) Avinash Tripathi commented on the incident, stating, “The examination system, with mandatory biometric attendance, thumb impression and iris verification at entry, makes impersonation extremely difficult.” He warned that anyone attempting such fraud would face strict legal action. The incident highlights the effectiveness of biometric verification in preventing cheating in examinations.
