The Class 12 Chemistry question paper was allegedly circulated on social media in the city ahead of the scheduled exam being conducted by the Maharashtra board, PTI quoted officials as saying on Saturday, February 21.
Police are now investigating the suspected paper leak incident.
The exam malpractice was found on Wednesday, February 18, at a high school examination centre.
The invigilators at the centre saw a female student visiting the washroom on a frequent basis. After raising suspicion, they were able to seize the student’s smartphone.
After analysing the handset, they discovered that the question paper for Class 12 Chemistry was shared on a WhatsApp group even before the exam began.
Officials shared that possible answers were also mentioned in the same group. Based on this, the invigilators questioned the female student as well as another person.
As per officials, a preliminary investigation into the matter suggested that a person had allegedly shared the question paper in the group for money. The individual is said to be linked to a private coaching centre.
In this regard, a case was registered at the Sadar police station, and further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Mass copying cases in Maharashtra
According to The Indian Express, at least 39 examination staff have been suspended in three ‘mass-copy’ cases amid the ongoing Maharashtra Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) board examination, as of February 19.
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The three cases were reported in Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Jalna districts of the state.
Notably, the three cases were reported during the English language examination.
In Beed, an FIR was registered against 19 people after it came to light that students in the classroom were involved in mass copying at the Arts and Science Junior College in Chausala. As per reports, the supervisor and centre director remained directly or indirectly involved.
A similar case was seen at the Rashtriya Higher Secondary School in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s Jaitapur. Here, the FIR was lodged against 24 people after students were found copying with the help of the centre director and the exam supervisor.
In Jalna, mass copying was observed at three schools in Rohilagad, Shahgad and Ankushnagar.
