Main accused in constable recruitment scam surrenders

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 3

The main accused in the constable recruitment scam case, Vikram Chaudhary, who had been eluding arrest for the past few months, today came to Dharamsala and surrendered.

Kangra SP Vimukt Ranjan said the police had been tracing the movements of Chaudhary for the past few months. Under pressure, he came to Dharamsala and surrendered. “We shall be producing him in the court to seek his remand,” the SP said.

Chaudhary, a resident of Jawali, was absconding since September. The police have now arrested 30 accused in the case, which includes imposters from UP, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and the candidates who hired the services of the main accused and their parents who allegedly paid up for the services.

The sources said the main accused was helping candidates pass entrance examinations for various government services for the past around 7 to 8 years. He might be having accomplices in other states also through which the imposters were arranged.

The modus operandi of the accused in the constable recruitment was to hire imposters for taking exams in place of candidates. The imposters used to carry technical gadgets as cameras, bluetooth devices and speakers into examination centres and get help to solve the examinations from outside. The fact that the imposters were sure of getting into the examination centres indicates that the main accused might be having some support of the employees who were conducting the examinations.

Though the scam was unearthed in Kangra district, the sources said the police was suspecting that a similar fraud might have been carried out in other districts also during police recruitment. The written examination of the entire constable recruitment has already been cancelled.