Recovery of question papers of recently held Kerala PSC examination and the UD clerk exam conducted by the ISRO from his laptop was what prompted the agency to broaden the scope of investigation. Photo: iStockChennai: The scope of the ongoing investigation into the 'hi-tech' civil services exam fraud case would be widened into the recent examinations conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The investigating agency, which did not rule out the possibility of more exam frauds involving the accused, would examine whether the accused helped candidates who appeared for the tests recently.
The police have recovered copies of question papers and answer keys of examinations conducted by both the Kerala PSC and the ISRO from a laptop seized from the IAS coaching center in Hyderabad, run by Safeer Karim, who was allegedly caught cheating in a civil services test conducted at a center in Chennai on Monday.
As part of the probe, the Tamil Nadu police raided his residence at Vayalkkara near Nedumbassery and the civil services coaching center in Kochi. The training center in Thiruvananthapuram will also be inspected.
There were reports that the marathon interrogation of Dr P. Rambabu, a close aide of Safeer, elicited vital information.
Recovery of question papers of recently held Kerala PSC examination and the UDC (upper division clerk) exam conducted by the ISRO from his laptop was what prompted the agency to broaden the scope of investigation. One of Safeer’s close relatives had appeared for the ISRO exam, investigation revealed.
However, the police stated that there was no concrete evidence to confirm cheating. A probe has been initiated in a bid to bring out any leads in this direction, an official said.
As the police suspect the involvement of more people, they have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests. Meanwhile, the ministry of home affairs has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government.
Safeer, who had cleared the IPS in 2014 civil service exam with 112th rank, wrote the mains exam again this year to improve his rank and move into the Indian administrative service (IAS).
Safeer was actively conducting civil service coaching classes before he got into IPS. Later he expanded his coaching classes to Kochi and Kozhikode and to Hyderabad and Bhopal.
His wife Joicy was also arrested for helping her husband.
MODUS OPERANDI
The officer had hid three devices – a bluetooth device in his ear, a camera on his shirt button and a mobile phone in his socks – on his body.
The camera on his shirt button would scan the question paper and send it across, to which his wife sitting miles away in Hyderabad would relay answers.
MUNNABHAI MODEL?
Joicy and Ram Babu are reported to have told the police that the cheating was inspired by the Sanjay Dutt-starrer 'Munnabhai MBBS' in which the professors can be seen dictating answers to Dutt over Bluetooth helping him clear MBBS exam.
'COMMISSIONER' INSPIRED
Safeer, currently on probation as the assistant superintendent of police in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, had once said in an interview that he was inspired by the Suresh Gopi-starrer 'Commissioner'. The tainted officer, will now face legal action and also lose his high job.
SIMILAR METHOD IN AIMPT LEAK
The infamous All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) paper leak case accused had also used almost similar method in 2015. A vest with micro-speakers stitched into the lining and earphones were the main gadget. Both the devices were attached wireless to a SIM-phone device, which was kept on the waist. This gadget was meant to receive and transmit signals to the earphones.
The earphones were the size of pinheads, making it difficult to spot them. This was later taken out of the ear with the help of a magnet.
The candidate could hear answers to each question that were being provided by a team of experts sitting in a control room. The questions were transmitted to the control room by a candidate using I-Watch scanner.
According to investigators, a coughing sound made twice by the candidate was the secret signal to indicate request for repeat of the answer.
The main accused in the medical exam paper leak Roop Singh Dangi from a well-off family in Haryana's Rohtak district had used his tech skills to run the racket. The Supreme Court had ordered to conduct the exams again after the racket came to light.
Read more: Latest Kerala news | Fahadh Faasil's car has Puducherry registration, sleuths swoop down on Kochi complex
