Hyderabad: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant was caught using a mobile phone inside the washroom of an examination centre at Zila Parishad High School (ZPHS), Ragannaguda, police said.
The suspect, a resident of Achampet, arrived at the centre at 7 am before the NEET re-exam and allegedly placed his phone in the washroom ventilator, according to the Adibatla police. About two hours later, he entered the washroom, placed the device — wrapped in a zip-lock cover — inside the flush tank and returned to take the test.
During the exam, the candidate complained of stomach pain and went to the washroom. Noting the unusually long absence, an invigilator alerted other staff, who searched the area and found him using the phone. The device was seized and the student was handed over to Hyderabad police.
A forensic check of the phone showed the browser Google Chrome had been used to search for answers; Instagram was the only other active app, the police release said. A case was registered under section 318(4) of BNS and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
The retest for NEET-UG was held on Sunday across 5,440 centres in India and 14 abroad, with over 20 lakh candidates appearing after the original exam was cancelled following paper-leak allegations. The test was conducted in 13 languages, including Hindi and English.