Assam police bust alleged NIOS exam cheating racket, arrest 7 in Tinsukia

Seven people, including a school principal, have been arrested for allegedly facilitating cheating and other unfair practices during National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) examinations in Assam's Tinsukia district in exchange for money, police said on November 6.

The accused allegedly charged candidates between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 in return for assurances of success and allowed them to use unfair means or provided assistance during examinations, police said.

The alleged malpractice came to light after a team led by Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Purunjay Bora conducted a surprise raid at Bhawati Bhagwan DV Shiksha Niketan during an examination on Thursday.

Seven people, including the school's principal, Raghav Prasad Rai, were arrested during the operation, police said.

The other accused have been identified as Sunil Kumar Verma, Ajit Jain, Biki Prasad, Dipu Barman, Suresh Giri and Shubhnath Bhagat.

An FIR was registered in connection with the case, and all seven accused were produced before a court on Friday. They were subsequently taken into custody for questioning and further investigation, police said.

Police are probing the extent of the alleged collection of money, the possible involvement of other people and whether the malpractice was limited to the examination centre or extended to other centres in the district.