Hyderabad: A NEET re-test candidate was arrested by Hyderabad Police after allegedly using a mobile phone hidden inside a washroom flush tank to cheat during the examination, raising fresh concerns over exam security.

The incident occurred on Sunday during the NEET re-examination at a government school in Ragannaguda under the Adibatla Police Station limits.

The candidate, a resident of Achampet, was apprehended at the examination centre located at ZPHS, Ragannaguda.

Police said he had allegedly planned the malpractice in advance by hiding the mobile phone inside the school premises before the examination began.

As per his plan to commit cheating, the student came to the school around 7 A.M. and placed a mobile phone in the washroom ventilator. He managed to access the washroom ventilator as it was adjoining the school compound wall. At 11 A.M., he entered the washroom and concealed the phone in a zip-lock cover before hiding it in a flush tank.

Although police security teams had thoroughly inspected the premises twice, once at 6 A.M. and again at 11 A.M., and conducted strict frisking of all candidates at the entrance, the phone hidden inside the flush tank remained undetected during the initial checks.

During the examination, the accused complained of stomach pain and requested to use the restroom. The washroom, which serves as the only common facility for the entire centre, is situated far away from the school building.

After the invigilator found that the student had spent an unusually long time in the toilet, he sent a few staff members to check about his availability. The accused was caught red-handed inside the washroom actively searching for answers on his mobile phone, police said.

Upon being alerted, the police team immediately seized the mobile phone used in the crime. A thorough inspection of the device revealed that he was using Google Chrome to search for answers, with no other active applications of concern besides Instagram. The accused confessed to the act during interrogation and is currently in police custody.

Following a formal complaint by the school administration, the police have registered a case under Section 318(4) BNS and Section 10 r/w 3 Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act -2024.

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–IANS