Police in India have smashed an elaborate scam that used a fake examination centre to provide fraudulent foreign language proficiency qualifications to test-takers wishing to study or work abroad.
The scammers, based in Anand in the state of Gujarat in the country’s west, allegedly helped individuals cheat on exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, CELPIP, and other tests required for visa or course applications.
The Anand Cyber Crime Police carried out a raid at the alleged fake centre, which is connected to the college, earlier this week and found a hidden passage behind a wall, imposter test takers and mirrored computer screens, The Indian Express reported.
Police said the centre featured two rooms connected by a concealed opening, with HDMI splitter adapters used to connect screens and computers so cheats sitting in a “test lab” could have their exams completed by experts hidden in a “support room”.
“The setup enabled a dummy candidate sitting in the support room to take the examination on behalf of the registered test-taker,” Deputy Superintendent of Police J N Panchal said.
“The system was designed to help candidates clear examinations through fraudulent means, thereby cheating examination authorities and compromising the integrity of the testing process.”
Police said the building was rented six months ago after a memorandum of understanding was signed with the college, and alleged the scam had been running for one-and-a-half months.
One man, Tarunkant Sharma, a resident of South Bopal, Ahmedabad, was arrested, and police alleged he worked in the fake examination centre at the direction of alleged masterminds Harshan Raval and Arth Bundela, who are now being sought by investigators.
Police suspect the scammers may also have been operating in the Dehli area and in Punjab, and are trying to determine how many fake qualifications may have been provided.
The bust comes after police in Kerala seized more than 100,000 fake certificates linked to 22 educational institutions in a multi-state operation in December, and said the syndicate may have supplied fake documentation to 1 million people across India.
Header image: Tarunkant Sharma (The Indian Express).
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