Arunachal Pradesh: Modus operandi in APSSB exam irregularities unearthed

The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police, which has been probing into the alleged irregularities in Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board examination, has claimed to have cracked the modus operandi of the accused.

The investigating team has so far arrested five persons including APSSB undersecretary Kapter Ringu and two data-entry operators of the board.

They were arrested after a suspicious optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet of a candidate was widely circulated on social media for which the board came under public criticism.

Several candidates, who appeared in the examination, had alleged that Senia Bagang, the examinee whose OMR sheet went viral, had submitted the blank answer sheet, though he was shortlisted for the skill test.

The investigation has revealed that Mongam Basar, one of the accused in the case, received money from Bagang and some other candidates at the behest of the then under secretary Ringu.

"Mongam received money from the candidates and passed it on to Kapter Ringu in lieu of getting them selected in the exam," SIC (vigilance) SP M Harsha Vardhan claimed in a statement.

Ringu also received money directly from other candidates, he said.

"After the examination was conducted on February 2, the trunks containing the used OMR sheets and other materials were brought to the strong room in the APSSB's office. Ringu, aided by data entry operator Khem Raj, went about tampering the OMR sheets," the SP said.

Vardhan also claimed that another data entry operator Tame Tania helped Ringu tampering with the CCTV footages after the issue of malpractice came to light.

"We have also found that the two arrested data entry operators had also appeared in the exam and qualified for the skill test," he said.

The SIC is trying to find out the number of candidates who paid money to Ringu and Mongam and the investigation is still on to figure out various other aspects of the case, he said.

"Senia Bagang, one of the candidates arrested in the case, has recently been granted bail by the court as she has a 5-month-old baby. Tame Tania was granted bail by the court on medical ground," the SP said.

Ringu, Mongam and Khem Raj have been in police custody, Vardhan added.