'Earbuds, Smartphone, and Live Calls': OPSC Aspirant Caught Red‑Handed During Cheating

A

scene straight out of the Bollywood movie 'Munna Bhai MBBS' has unfolded in a real-life Odisha Public Service Commission examination. A candidate appearing for the prestigious OPSC examination was allegedly caught using a smartphone and earbuds to receive answers from associates outside the examination hall. The incident has raised serious questions about security arrangements at one of Odisha's most important competitive examinations.The incident took place at a private engineering college under Markatnagar Police Station limits in Cuttack, where the OPSC examination was being conducted on Sunday.

Aspirant Managed To Get Smartphone Inside

According to police, candidate Abhisek Rout managed to secretly carry a smartphone inside the examination centre despite security checks.Investigators said that once the examination began, the accused allegedly started communicating questions over a live phone call to his associates outside the centre. The three accomplices reportedly searched for answers online and relayed them back to the candidate through wireless earbuds concealed in his ears.

Flying Squad Caught Aspirant Red-Handed

The cheating operation came to light when a flying squad conducting routine inspections noticed suspicious behaviour by the candidate.During a search, officials recovered a smartphone hidden inside his clothing and a pair of wireless earbuds. Authorities found that a live call was still active at the time of detection.Following the discovery, the examination centre superintendent handed the candidate over to police.

Call Records Exposes Aspirant

Acting swiftly, Markatnagar Police traced the call records and arrested three alleged accomplices identified as Rupesh Jha, Alex Raj Pani and Soumya Ranjan Sahu.Based on a written complaint from the Centre Supervisor, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act and the Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.All four accused have been produced before the court. The incident has triggered serious concerns regarding examination security and transparency.Questions are now being raised over how a smartphone entered a highly secured examination centre and whether there was any lapse or possible internal assistance involved.With four arrests already made, police say the investigation is continuing to determine whether a larger cheating network was involved. The case has once again highlighted the challenges of maintaining fairness and credibility in competitive examinations.