An 18 year old NEET candidate was arrested on Sunday after he was allegedly caught using a hidden mobile phone inside a washroom during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination at a government school in Hyderabad.
The incident took place at the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Ragannaguda, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Adibatla Police Station. According to police, the accused, a resident of Achampet, had allegedly planned the cheating attempt in advance.
Investigators said the student arrived at the examination centre around 7 a.m. and secretly placed a mobile phone near the washroom ventilator, which was accessible from the adjoining school compound wall. Later, around 11 a.m., he allegedly retrieved the device, sealed it in a zip lock cover and concealed it inside a flush tank in the washroom.
Police officials stated that security personnel had conducted thorough inspections of the examination centre twice once at 6 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. All candidates were also subjected to strict frisking before entering the examination hall. However, the phone hidden inside the flush tank reportedly went undetected during the checks.
During the examination, the candidate complained of stomach pain and requested permission to use the washroom. The restroom, which serves as a common facility for the entire examination centre, is located some distance away from the main school building.
After noticing that the student had spent an unusually long time in the washroom, an invigilator directed staff members to check on him. The candidate was allegedly caught red handed while using the concealed mobile phone to search for answers online.
Following the incident, police personnel stationed at the centre immediately seized the device. A preliminary examination of the phone revealed that the student had been using Google Chrome to search for answers during the examination. Apart from Instagram, no other significant applications were found to be active on the device at the time.
During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the act. He was subsequently taken into custody and a case was registered based on a complaint filed by the school administration.
Police have registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Further investigation is underway.
