SAHIWAL: Police busted a six-member gang involved in conniving with candidates through the use of electronic devices in solving question papers when they appeared in the written test for ongoing recruitments in the Punjab Police.

The induction of constables, women constables, traffic assistants and drivers for the department is currently happening on the Civil Line Police Station premises.

More than 1,300 candidates had appeared on Saturday in the written test of police posts after passing the physical fitness test in Sahiwal.

Reports said a six-member gang was assisting at least six candidates from a private academy, named Markhor, located at the Pakpattan Chowk, around five kilometres from the examination centre.

Those arrested include seven abettors and as many candidates; each candidate paid Rs350,000 to an academy to pass written test

Police arrested Constable Ijaz, the invigilator who had provided copies of question papers to the gang through a mobile device for solving papers. The written tests are being held under the Police Recruitment Board, Sahiwal and District Police Officer Faisal Shahzad was supervising the written test being the secretary of the recruitment board.

City Police Station SHO Asif Sarwar said each candidate had paid Rs350,000 to the gang for help in solving the questions of the written test.

The City Police arrested 14 people, including seven candidates Wajid Ali, Zohaib Zafar, Muhammad Sohail, Usama Taqi, Abu Sufyan, Ali Shan and Faisal Rasool, and their six handlers, identified as Muhammad Farooq, Ali Abbas, Muhammad Arshad, Ijaz, Ali Raza, and Muhammad Shahid and Constable Ijaz, on complaint of ASI Farooq Nazir.

Police confiscated seven sets of bluetooth earbuds, hearing devices, SIM cards of different telecom companies and three sets of solved papers at the popular social media accounts on different mobile phones and seven pairs of underwear with pockets.

The candidates belong to different localities of district Sahiwal.

The first information report (FIR) says the written test for induction of policemen was being held when the invigilators found some candidates using earbuds in the examination centre. The invigilators got suspicious and thoroughly searched two candidates initially. Police found SIM cards in the pockets of the candidates’ undergarments. Police slowly separated other suspicious candidates, interrogated them and traced the Markhor Academy, Pakpattan, to be behind the plot.

The SHO said the police found solved papers and a communication network where candidates were informed with answers of the questions through bluetooth devices.

“Transparency and merit would be ensured for the induction of cops in the Punjab Police,” DPO Shahzad said.

The police raided the Markhor Academy and arrested the suspects behind the cheating in the test. The SHO said the suspects informed the investigators that it was not the first time that they had assisted candidates of different examinations.

Dawn learnt from sources district police announced the names of candidates who had passed the written test. As many as 967 male and 170 female candidates passed the written test. They are vying for 109 vacancies in the police department.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2024