RAIPUR: The ongoing probe into the BSc agriculture paper leak in Chhattisgarh’s Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) has opened a disturbing can of worms, pointing to a striking breach in exam security and integrity. The question paper was allegedly copied without even opening the sealed envelope, the police said, adding that an endoscopic camera, which could be extremely miniature in size, was inserted into the envelope after making an incision in it.According to the FIR filed in the case, the miniature camera, which is typically used to see narrow and hard-to-reach places inside a human body, scanned the contents inside the sealed cover that were leaked thereafter.The alleged method, which investigators believe allowed the question paper to be accessed without visibly tampering with the sealed packet, has emerged as the key modus operandi in the case.Addressing the hurried media conference on Saturday, the police said the scanned paper was then converted into images or copies that were passed on to students and circulated on WhatsApp about two hours before the Entomology examination was scheduled to begin.According to the FIR, Kawardha Agriculture College received an email about the leak at 8.41am, followed by similar information to university officials around 8.54 am. Students and their representatives also alerted the university about portions of the paper that were circulating on WhatsApp.Raipur Crime DCP Smritik Rajnala said six people have, so far, been arrested in connection with the leak. The arrested suspects include Yogesh Sonkesariya, a professor of a private college in Durg, and five students who allegedly purchased the leaked paper for Rs 12,000 each.The sleuths also suspect that Sonkesariya played a central role in the operation. Elaborating on the statement recorded from the alleged accused, police said Sonkesariya did not need to break open the packet. After taking the sealed Entomology question paper home, he allegedly pierced the envelope with a needle and another pointed tool, inserted a Rs 2,500 endoscopy camera through the tiny opening and recorded the paper inside. He then allegedly reconstructed the questions from the video, sold the paper and passed it to a student network from where it was circulated through social media handles.The leak surfaced on Aug 20, when the question paper began circulating on WhatsApp shortly before the exam. As the paper distributed at examination centres was compared with the viral copy, the contents matched, triggering alarm in the university administration. The exam was subsequently cancelled and has been rescheduled in the first week of Sept.About 1,200 students from 27 agriculture colleges were to take the exam, officials said.Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai directed a strict and impartial probe, while the university constituted a five-member committee to probe the leak. The govt also ordered a wider review of question-paper security — from printing and storage to transportation and custody at exam centres.Vowing ‘zero tolerance’ towards any attempt to compromise the credibility of examinations, the CM said the probe must establish the entire chain — from the source of the question paper to those who circulated it and any others who may have been involved.Raipur police commissioner Sanjeev Shukla constituted a force of more than 100 personnel after a complaint was lodged at Telibandha police station. Crime and cyber teams examined screenshots, WhatsApp messages, social-media posts, mobile numbers, digital contacts and location data in an attempt to trace the first point of circulation.The police said they identified the alleged source of the leak within 36 hours and arrested the six suspects. An FIR was registered under Chhattisgarh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2008 and BNS sections, the sleuths said, adding they were now on the lookout for two more absconding suspects.The probe teams spread out across Raipur, Durg, Kawardha, Rajnandgaon and Bilaspur, while mobile phones, WhatsApp chats and other digital trails were used to identify the suspects. More than 16 people have been questioned so far in connection with the leak, the police said.Investigators said they were in the process of reconstructing the distributionchain — from where the sealed paper was accessed, who first scanned it, how it was transmitted and who ultimately received it.The leak, meanwhile, has brought the university’s paper-handling system under scrutiny. If the police version is established, the leak would point to a security gap not just at the stage of physically opening the packet, but also in assuming that a sealed envelope itself was sufficient protection.The police said they were also probing whether the six arrested accused were part of a wider network and whether the leaked paper was sold or circulated to more students beyond those already identified. Digital evidence was being examined to trace the full distribution chain.The sleuths said they were also looking beyond the August 20 Entomology examination, probing claims that another BSc Agriculture paper — first-year Plant Pathology exam, scheduled earlier in August, may also have been compromised.GFX HEADLINE: MODUS OPERANDIEndoscopic cam used to scan contents of BSc paper at Indira Gandhi Krishi VishwavidyalayaPrime suspect Yogesh Sonkesariya, a professor of a private college in Durg, allegedly used a needle to make incisions in the sealed envelopeHe then slipped in the camera, which scanned the contents inside the sealed cover and took picturesHe then allegedly reconstructed the questions from the video and sold the paperHe also passed it to a student network from where it was circulated through social media handles.
