Shimla Exam Scam: After Ambala, Now Himachal's Turn – 39 Caught Cheating with Gadgets, Paper Leak Suspected
Shimla | May 20, 2025
After the Ambala exam center scandal rocked Haryana, now a similar script has unfolded in the hills of Himachal. In a shocking breach during the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti’s recruitment exam for non-teaching posts, 39 candidates were caught red-handed in Shimla using electronic devices to cheat — triggering strong suspicion of a paper leak network operating across states.
Just like the Ambala case — where a cheating gang was found circulating answers during the exam — Shimla’s scandal too points to a syndicate that may have had prior access to the question paper.
High-tech cheating, low patience:
Investigations reveal the arrested candidates had been instructed to send the question paper series code through hidden gadgets — after which they’d receive answers. For 30 to 60 minutes into the exam, many OMR sheets were left completely blank — a big red flag that they were waiting for external help before attempting anything.
Mobile phones seized, SIT formed:
All devices have been sent for forensic examination. Police have filed six FIRs and arrested 39 candidates — including 5 women — mostly from Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, and Delhi. The similarities with the Ambala modus operandi are uncanny.
ASP Ratan Singh Negi is now heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe deeper into the racket's reach and links with other centers like Ambala.
Drama at the center – Two escape, one impersonator caught:
In a dramatic turn, two accused — Mandeep Kumar and Aman — fled the exam center by jumping over the boundary wall. A man from Firozabad, Jatin, was also nabbed posing as another candidate, Alok Sharma.
The cheating attempts were reported from six centers in Shimla on Sunday, and the pattern mirrors a larger pan-India nexus. After Ambala, this fresh blow from Shimla suggests the exam mafia may be running a coordinated operation across states, making a mockery of national-level competitive exams.
Will the system finally wake up?
With back-to-back scandals in Ambala and now Shimla, questions are being raised over the security of national exams. Are these isolated incidents or just the tip of a deeper rot?
Stay tuned for more updates as the SIT unravels this multi-state examination scam.
