India ― Despite limited internet access, a group discovered a workaround for cheating in fiercely competitive teaching exams through Bluetooth devices hidden in their flip-flops.
Ten people were arrested in India for planning to cheat using their contraptions, said the police.
Copying other people’s work during examinations has been an ongoing problem in India, reported AFP.
This becomes challenging when over a million students are involved, such as Sunday’s (Sept 26) government exams with 1.6 million participants.
Therefore, the police were allowed to limit mobile internet access during the tests in Rajasthan, a state located in northern India.
The group’s plan to circumvent the lack of Internet connection was to hide Bluetooth devices between the soles of their flip-flops.
Equipped with tiny receivers hidden in their ears, they could receive regular calls through the device.
Other members would then call the students and dictate the correct answers, revealed Bikaner police official Priti Chandra.
The aspiring teachers had their plans foiled as they acted suspiciously outside the examination hall the night before the exams, leading to their arrest.
Authorities also discovered the hidden devices in their footwear.
“We were aware of the possibility of cheating, but we thought it would be a question paper leak or someone would use the internet, which is why it was restricted in many cities,” said Chandra.
“But this was a totally new modus operandi,” said the police official, noting the students were getting more and more tech-savvy.
Investigations showed that at least 25 students were equipped with the modified slippers.
They purchased it for 600,000 rupees (S$10,995) a pair from a gang, reports noted.
The modus operandi was disseminated to other districts before their scheduled exams, and students were then told to leave their footwear outside the examination hall.
“In one case, we caught a student after the exam and had to take him to a doctor to identify and remove the Bluetooth device from his ear,” said Chandra.
Other reported cheating practices include individuals who impersonate students and take the test in their place for a fee, or gangs stealing exam papers and selling them to students. /TISG