More than 120 people were arrested across Uttar Pradesh in the last two days for impersonating candidates in the police constable recruitment examination and cheating, officials said on Saturday. Director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar said among the 122 arrested in total, 15 were in Etah, nine each in Mau, Prayagraj and Siddharthanagar, eight in Ghazipur, seven in Azamgarh, six in Gorakhpur, five in Jaunpur, four in Firozabad, three each in Kaushambi and Hathras, two each in Jhansi, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur, and one each in Ballia, Deoria and Bijnor.
Kumar conducted a surprise inspection at two examination centres in the Gomtinagar area of Lucknow earlier in the day. He said more than 48 lakh candidates are taking the examination being held in two shifts on February 17 and 18. Additional Director General of the STF Amitabh Yash told PTI that those arrested were using chits. Some were arrested for impersonating actual candidates, while some people were arrested for duping candidates, he added. He said the arrests were made between February 15 and 17.
In Etah, the 15 people arrested for allegedly planning to use unfair means in the exam by a surveillance team of the Kotwali police station are being questioned, Additional Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Kushwaha said. The officer, however, declined to comment on the modus operandi being used by those arrested. In eastern Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, a man allegedly took money from candidates on the promise that he would clear the exam for them.
According to a statement issued by the Ballia Police, Saleem Ansari was arrested by a team from the Rasda police station. Police seized Rs 8.99 lakh from Ansari which he had allegedly taken from candidates appearing in the test, it said.
