After NEET, Exam Paper Leak Rocks Punjab: High-Tech Cheating Racket Busted; 35 Detained, Sophisticated Electronic Devices Seized
Babushahi Bureau
Faridkot/Chandigarh, July 19, 2026: After the NEET controversy, Punjab has now witnessed one major examination scandal, with police uncovering an alleged high-tech cheating and paper leak racket during the Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Examination conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS).
The Faridkot City Police have registered an FIR after sophisticated electronic devices were recovered from candidates appearing in the examination. According to the police, candidates allegedly paid between ₹3 lakh and ₹13 lakh to the racket in exchange for being helped to clear the examination.
Police have so far detained 35 persons, including seven key members of the organised gang, while the investigation is continuing. DIG Faridkot said the probe is underway and more arrests are likely.
Answers Allegedly Supplied from Outside Through Miniature Electronic Devices
According to the investigation, the organised gang had equipped candidates with tiny electronic devices through which answers were allegedly transmitted from handlers stationed outside the examination centres.
The Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Examination, conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, was being held across Punjab with nearly 40,000 candidates appearing for the test. Acting on confidential information, police carried out simultaneous raids at examination centres in Faridkot and Kotkapura, leading to the detection of the alleged cheating operation.
During the raids, police recovered highly sophisticated miniature electronic devices from several candidates. Officials said these gadgets enabled the examinees to receive answers from persons operating outside the examination centres.
High-Tech Devices Recovered; More Than 200 Candidates Suspected
Based on intelligence inputs, police conducted intensive searches at 10 examination centres. So far, 20 candidates have been found in possession of the high-tech devices allegedly used for cheating.
Investigators suspect that the organised gang had distributed such devices to more than 200 candidates appearing in the examination. However, prompt action by the police and the civil administration during the examination exposed the entire operation.
Given the seriousness of the case, police have launched a large-scale investigation and search operation to identify all those involved in the alleged examination fraud. Authorities are also probing the wider network behind the racket and the possible involvement of additional beneficiaries.