How social media led to arrest of Assam JEE topper who allegedly used proxy to score 99.8%

Guwahati: Shock and disbelief still linger in Assam after it came to light that the topper of the Joint Entrance Exam (Mains) in Assam had reportedly used a proxy to write the exam on his behalf.

A police complaint in this regard was filed by a man named Mitradev Sharma last week, after a phone call recording and WhatsApp chat in which the accused admitted to using unfair means to top the examination surfaced on social media. A hue and cry ensued on social media. "Preposterous", some said.

The police were quick to take action. "As soon as we received the complaint, we began an investigation and arrested the accused," Munna Prasad Gupta, the Police Commissioner of Guwahati, told Inside Northeast.

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Neel Nakshatra Das, his father, Dr Jyotirmoy Das, and three employees of a testing centre - Hamendra Nath Sarma, Pranjal Kalita and Hirulal Pathak - were arrested yesterday and were produced in a local court on Thursday.
An FIR (first information report) has been registered with the Azara Police. Police investigation has revealed that a proxy was used by the candidate through the help of another agency that acted as a middleman.

It has has been alleged that the staff of the examination Centre were also involved in the incident. Police is said to be investigating all angles -- there is even the whiff of a scam.

According to reports, the candidate filled his name and roll number on the answer sheet. The actual test was written by a proxy outside.

The examination centre has been sealed and the management has been summoned, police said.

The Assam Police have informed the National Testing Agency (NTA) about the incident.

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