Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre cancels recruitment test in which two persons from Haryana were caught cheating

Thiruvananthapuram, August 21

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) on Monday cancelled the test held a day ago for recruiting technical staff, after two men from Haryana were arrested for alleged impersonation and cheating during the exam.

The VSSC in a notification said that the written test to the posts of technician-B, draughtsman-B and radiographer-A that was held on August 20 at various centres in Thiruvananthapuram stands cancelled.

“The revised schedule for the test will be informed to all the candidates concerned, through the VSSC website in due course. Inconvenience caused is regretted,” it said.

The move comes after Kerala police arrested two persons from two separate test centres who were caught red-handed when they were cheating in the exam.

When police checked their identities, they did not match with the names of persons who had applied for the test; the two accused were impersonating the actual candidates.

Besides the two arrested persons, four other people from Haryana are in police custody in connection with the incident.

The police, which launched a full-fledged investigation into the incident, had also urged VSSC to cancel the test.

As more than 400 candidates from a single state — Haryana — had taken the test, there are suspicions over whether coaching centres may be involved. An investigating team will be sent to Haryana to collaborate with the state’s police for the probe, police said earlier.

A case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and various other provisions of the IPC and the Information Technology Act has been lodged against those arrested, police said.

“The two arrested persons will also be booked for impersonating the actual candidates,” it said.

The national-level recruitment test was held only in Kerala at 10 exam centres across the state, police added.