Man arrested for impersonating girlfriend in recruitment exam
A man in Faridkot district of Punjab was caught red-handed attempting to impersonate his girlfriend during a government recruitment examination for health workers, police has said. According to reports, Singh disguised himself as a woman, wearing makeup, a bindi, and a salwar kameez. He even used fake voter and Aadhaar cards to take the test at Kotkapura's DAV Public School on January 7, police said.
Biometrics failure led to Singh's arrest
Despite carrying "documentation", Singh's plan was exposed when his fingerprints failed to match those of the real candidate on the biometric device. After an initial investigation, it was revealed that he had used false credentials and dressed as a woman to take the exam in place of a candidate named Paramjit Kaur, said to be his girlfriend. Following this, the original candidate's application was rejected by the administration, and Singh was promptly arrested by the police.
Probe underway, says Faridkot SP
Meanwhile, Faridkot SP Jasmeet Singh told India Today that a first information report (FIR) has been registered in the incident following a complaint. "We received a complaint from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, and we are currently investigating the matter. We will take appropriate action after completing our inquiry," he said. SP Singh said the accused now faced criminal charges, and the detailed investigation would determine any additional motives for his actions.
Similar incident reported in Chandigarh
In December last year, Punjab Police arrested three people and registered three cases of cheating during different competitive exams in Chandigarh, according to Hindustan Times. Two cases were reportedly registered following the complaint of Naresh Kumar, Superintendent of Government Model High School, Police Lines, Sector 26, Chandigarh. He complained that one Sunny, a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula, appeared for the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) exam at the government school, but his biometrics did not match.
2023 AIIMS Delhi impersonation racket
The incidents bring back memory of the infamous impersonation case of July 2023, when the Delhi Police busted a gang that allegedly used to write the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) exam in place of actual candidates. The gang reportedly charged candidates Rs. 7 lakh each for taking the exam. The police said Naresh Bishroi, a second-year student at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, led the gang.
