SOG conducts major operation in Kolkata, arrests Rs. 10,000-reward dummy candidate

The arrested accused is a fourth-year MBBS student dreaming of becoming a doctor, who ended up behind bars for the lure of a few rupees.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Vishal Bansal, stated that the accused, Prince Saini (27), a resident of the Khatauli police station area of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, is currently a fourth-year MBBS student at Barasat Government Medical College in Kolkata.

The investigation revealed that Prince had posed as a dummy candidate for the science exam in place of Manohar Singh Bishnoi, a resident of Sanchore. The exam was held on December 24, 2022, at the examination centre in Savina Kheda, Udaipur. A deal of Rs. 250,000 was struck between Prince and Manohar Singh for this fraud.

The SOG utilised innovative technological initiatives to track down the accused. Under the leadership of Deputy Inspector General of Police, Paris Deshmukh, and Additional Superintendent of Police, Prakash Sharma, a special software was developed that matched the candidates' photos and databases. Using advanced technical analysis and a robust informant network, the team traced Prince's location in Kolkata and apprehended him. Inspector Praveen Singh and Constable Sitaram played a key role in this commendable feat.

The SOG has so far arrested a total of 27 accused in the 2022 Senior Teacher (Secondary Education) Class II competitive examination fraud case. These include 12 original candidates, 10 dummy candidates, including Prince, and five intermediaries and co-accused.

It is noteworthy that the General Knowledge and Educational Psychology exam, held on December 24, 2022, was cancelled due to a leaked question paper. The exam was later rescheduled for January 29, 2023.

During the investigation, it was discovered that some candidates in the Science stream had attempted to secure selection through dummy candidates, following which the SOG registered a case and initiated action. (ANI)