CB-CID makes fourth arrest, says insiders involved in TNPSC exam fraud

“Primary information was that about 40 candidates indulged in a fraud to clear the examination. Answer scripts were tampered with, mainly in Rameswaram and Keelakarai centres in Ramanathapuram district, by insiders who had access to the answer sheets and answer keys for candidates who paid bribe money,” the CB-CID official said.

TNPSC officials approached the police following complaints on social media.

The CB-CID is conducting searches for the 40 suspects. On Tuesday, one Sivaraj, 34, a Cuddalore resident who wrote the examination from Ramanathapuram and cleared it by allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 8 lakh, was arrested. The police said Sivaraj is related to two others already in custody — Rajasekar and Srinivasan, both from Cuddalore district.

“The three of them reportedly approached the same agent to crack the exam. They paid a large amount as bribe. They secured identical mark in the examination,” the CB-CID officer said.

Earlier, an alleged middleman, identified as T Venkataraman, 38, from Avadi, had been arrested.

According to officials, a tip-off that 40 of 57 candidates who appeared in the exam from nine centres in Ramanathapuram district figured in the top-100 ranks led to an internal probe in TNPSC. The investigators are now looking for all 40 who appeared from these nine centres, as also officers who were on duty at Rameswaram and Keelakarai centres.

“It is almost certain that officers who were in charge of conducting the exams had a role, as they handled answer scripts,” the officer said.

Explaining the modus operandi, the officer said investigators suspect a senior official passed on details of candidates to two officials in the rank of tehsildars. The CB-CID officer said: “They contacted candidates and offered help during the exam against money. The condition was that the candidates had to opt for one of the two exam centres (Rameswaram and Keelakarai). Candidates who agreed to pay were given two pens to use in the exam — a regular pen to fill up the registration number and other identification details, and another with evaporating ink to answer the questions.”

After the ink evaporated in a few hours, officers involved in the fraud allegedly made fresh markings on the answer sheets, according to the CB-CID official.

The TNPSC has blacklisted 99 candidates who allegedly paid bribe and used the special pen, although fresh markings were not made on their answer sheets for “unknown reasons”, the officer said, adding that the all of them will be interrogated as part of the investigation.