ARIYALUR : For a 23-year-old engineering graduate from Kanniyakumari, the dream was to become a police officer. On Sunday, however, he landed behind bars for impersonation to clear the police selection exam. Udayarpalayam police arrested three persons, all of them engineering graduates, for impersonation in the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board exam. A total of 2,972 candidates appeared for the exam in Ariyalur district.
One applicant, Deva Prashant, a BE graduate from Arakkankottaivilai in Kanniyakumari, sent Raghupathy, a ME graduate and resident of Keezharasur in Cuddalore to impersonate him and take the test. According to police, the incident came to light after they received a tip-off. Speaking to TNIE, V Balakrishnan, DIG, Tiruchy Range said,” When we checked the exam hall at a private college in Udayarpalayam, we became suspicious of a particular candidate.
However, we allowed him to complete the exam as any intervention would have disturbed others in the exam centre. After he came out of the hall, we interrogated him and came to know that he took the exam on behalf of a candidate. Further questioning revealed he did this for a Rs 1.5 lakh ‘fee’ from the candidate - Prashant - for writing the exam.”
Raghupathy received an advance of Rs 1 lakh and the remaining sum was to be paid once he cleared the test. Police said Prashant had approached a relative, S Santhosh, a ME graduate, for this. Santhosh approached Raghupathy, a friend from his college days, who agreed.
The DIG said, “This was a planned move. Even as he applied for the exam, he made sure he gave the name of a centre close to Raghupathy’s native. They avoided Cuddalore and chose Ariyalur as exam centre as they feared they would be caught in their in home town.” Prashant, Raghupathy and Santhosh were charged under Section 419 (Cheating) and Section 353 ( Using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties) of the IPC. The three accused are charged with 506 (1) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) along with Section 419 and Section 353 of IPC.
Rs 1 lakh advance
Raghupathy received an advance of Rs 1 lakh and the remaining sum was to be paid once he cleared the test. Prashant had approached a relative, S Santhosh for this. Santhosh approached Raghupathy, a college friends, who agreed