Madras varsity exam scam: How the cheats operated

Chennai: It has come to light that the examination system of Institute of Distance education (IDE) in University of Madras was systematically hacked by the nexus between the agents and study centers.

A leakage in the system of monitoring unused blank answer scripts was exploited by unscrupulous elements.

A student who affected in the racket said the agents used the couriers for their operations including receiving the blank answer sheets and the filled in answer sheets.

“They operated from outside the city. We were asked to assemble at a particular point after the exam and given blank answer sheets. They will give one or two days time to fill the answer scripts. After that they would send the sheets back to the study centers from outside the state using couriers,” they added.

“From sourcing the blank answer scripts and collecting the filled in answer sheets everything was well coordinated by the agents and study centers. In the digital era, they used couriers to outsmart our exam system,” a source privy to the investigations said.

The agents send the questions in WhatsApp on the day of exams. “If they managed to get around 400 students per year, they would make around Rs 6 to Rs 12 crores,” they pointed out. It is estimated that the scam was being run for at least last 10 years.

Sometimes the study centers which arrange for imposters would send two answer scripts – one that was written by the imposter and another one that of the filled answer scripts – for one candidate.”They even mess the answer scripts by not replacing the fake answer scripts,” they revealed.

Some professors blamed the university for negligence. “Because of financial constraints, the university did not send inspection squads to outside the state.

The agents and study centers exploited it to create a fake presence of the candidates during the exams,” they said. “No surprise squads are the main reason for the scam went unnoticed for severalyears,” they added.  The VC has proactively ordered the inquiry and trying to plug the loopholes in the system.  
How did the agents get hold of blank answer scripts? The study centers should have sent the unused blank answer scripts to the agents or they should have sourced it from within the university. Further inquiry is expected to reveal how the blank answer scripts are acquired and also if there are any moles within the university.

How the racket was operated?

Step 1: Agent identifies the vulnerable students who struggle to finish their courses when they visit university for paying the exam fee or other issues

Step 2 : He would tell the students that he can help them pass exams.  The students who take the bait contact the agents at designated meeting points. In most of the cases, the agents claim that they were from university and show fake ID cards or credentials

Step 3 :  After the initial negotiations they would agree for Rs 15,000 per paper. They would give instructions on which exam center to apply, preferably from outside the state

Step 4 : On the day of an exam, students receive question paper. Immediately they will be asked to meet again and given blank answer sheets.  Either the student can write the exam at home or they can hire someone to fill the answer scripts for them for extra money.

Step 5: After collecting the answer scripts from the students, agents will courier those answer scripts to study centers from which they are supposed to write exam.

Step 6: Study centers which created the fake records as if the students physically appeared for the exam, will replace the dummy answer scripts with filled in answer scripts. Those answer scripts will be sent to university along with other regular answer sheets for evaluation

Is it the case of negligence?

There is negligence on part of the university as well. They did not maintain the proper account for unused answer scripts. Because of financial constraints, the university did not send examination squads to study centers from outside the state. No surprise squads are the main reason for the scam went unnoticed for several years - sources said