Special Investigation Cell (SIC) cracks modus operandi job scam in APSSB

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the State police investigating the alleged job scam in the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB), has claimed to crack the modus operandi used by the accused in the case.

The SIC has so far arrested five persons including APSSB under secretary Kapter Ringu and two data entry operators of the board in the case.

The APSSB faced severe criticism after the OMR sheet of a candidate who appeared in the Lower Division Clerk and Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) conducted by the board, went viral in social media. Ironically, the candidate in question whose OMR sheet was allegedly left blank, was also selected for the skill test.

Investigation has revealed that Mongam Basar, one of the accused in the case, acted at the behest of the then under secretary Ringu. Mongam received money from the candidates and passed it on to Kapter in lieu of getting them selected in the exam. Kapter also received money directly from another set of candidates, SIC (vigilance) SP M Harsha Vardhan informed in a statement here on Saturday.

“After the examination was conducted on February 2 last, the trunks containing the used OMR sheets and other exam materials were brought to the strong room in the APSSB’s office. Ringu aided by data entry operator Khem Raj then went about tampering the OMR sheets,” the SP said.

He added that Ringu entered into the strong room at various times including outside office hours, using the keys available with her on February 3 and 4 last. She then filled up the OMR sheets of the candidates who had paid money in lieu of clearing the exam and placed them back in the trunks, the SP added.

Vardhan disclosed that another data entry operator Tame Tania helped Ringu tamper with CCTV footage once the issue of malpractices came to light through social media on February 14. “We have also confirmed that the two arrested data entry operators Tame Tania and Khem Raj had also appeared in the exam as candidates and qualified for the skill test. Their OMR sheets were also tampered to favour them by Ringu,” Vardhan said.

The SP said that the SIC is now ascertaining the total number of candidates who paid money or benefited unduly through the malpractices in the exam.

Further giving out the current status of the arrested persons, the SP said that Ringu, Mongam and Khem Raj continue to be in police custody.

“Senia Bagang, one of the candidates arrested in the case, has recently been granted bail by the court on the ground that she is a feeding mother to a 5-month-old baby. Tame Tania was granted bail by the court on Thursday because of a pre-existing severe medical condition,” the SP said while appealing the people not to believe in rumours in this regard.

Vardhan said that the SIC has also seized electronic evidences in the case and they are being processed in an appropriate manner.

“The SIC has also frozen the bank account of Ringu. We are committed to conducting the investigation in a professional and evidence-based manner to unearth the truth. Investigation is still under process to figure out various other aspects of the case,” the SP added.

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