67 held over pry teacher recruitment test fraud

Law enforcement agencies have detained 67 persons, including five women, from the northern districts of Gaibandha, Rangpur and Lalmonirhat on charges of fraudulence in the assistant teacher recruitment test for primary schools, reports UNB.

In Gaibandha, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 35 of them from different areas of the district, including examination centres, on Friday morning.

Several mobile phone sets, electronic devices and various equipment to facilitate the fraudulent activities were seized, said ASP Mostafizur Rahman, commander of RAB-13, at a press conference at the Gaibandha RAB Camp's auditorium on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile in Rangpur, police detained 19 individuals, again from different areas of the district, including exam centres and Rangpur city.

During this time, 80 mobile phone sets and devices were seized from their possession, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Moniruzzaman said at a press briefing.

Divulging the devices used by the syndicate, the Commissioner said one group would be inside the exam centre, they would take pictures of the question papers distributed in the exam centre and electronically transfer them to their fellow conspirators outside. A few of the group outside are some of our everyday math geniuses, using modern devices to solve the problems. Real candidates inside the exam centres then received these answers.

Based on a tip-off, the police started the operation from Thursday night as they already had an active investigation in this regard.

Apart from Rangpur, more members of this syndicate team have been arrested from different districts of the division.

The detainees will be interrogated in this regard, said the officer, adding that a case will be filed against them.

In Lalmonirhat, 13 examinees were detained on charges of cheating in the primary assistant teacher recruitment examination on Friday.

The detainees are Ashiq Siddiqui (25), Paranjan Roy (30), Nazmun Nahar (30), Rabiul Islam (31), Sahera Khatun (31), Lovely Khatun (31), Afrin Akhtar (27), Rafia Sultana (27). Khadija Khatun (30), Tripti Rani (26), Sohagi Begum (31), Mahabooba Raihana (29) and Tuli Rani Roy (29).

Omar Faruq, officer-in-charge (OC) of Lalmonirhat Sadar thana, confirmed the arrest on Friday afternoon.