Student sent to judicial custody for alleged AI use during NEET re-exam
text_fields
Jaipur: A female student who was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to cheat during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination on Sunday was produced before a court on Monday and remanded to judicial custody.
During the hearing at the designated court in Jaipur, police did not seek her custodial remand. The accused, Himanshi Tiwari, a resident of Gujar Ki Thadi, was sent to jail after appearing before the court. She was seen attempting to cover her face while leaving the court premises.
Police have started the process of sending her mobile phone for forensic examination. The report will determine whether the device was used only to search for answers or whether there was an attempt to send information from the question paper to someone outside the examination centre.
Tiwari was caught allegedly using a mobile phone while appearing for the NEET re-examination at a centre in Bindayaka on Sunday. A teacher present in the examination hall became suspicious of her behaviour and intervened. A mobile phone was recovered during the inspection.
According to officials, the student had hidden the device beneath her shirt buttons and inside her undergarments.
During police questioning, she reportedly admitted that she had carried the phone into the examination hall to search for answers using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Examination officials seized the device and handed it over to the police.
Investigators also found photographs of the NEET question paper on the phone, which were reportedly taken around 15 minutes before the examination ended.
However, officials said that due to active signal jammers installed around the examination centre, the student was allegedly unable to transmit the images or any other information to anyone outside the venue.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the metal detector had beeped twice when the student entered the examination centre. When security personnel questioned her, she allegedly claimed that the alert was caused by the metal hooks on her undergarments, following which she was allowed inside.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, police questioned not only the student but also the centre superintendent and examination staff late into the night.
Investigators are also examining how the mobile phone bypassed security checks and reached the examination hall.
If the investigation confirms the use of unfair means during the examination, legal action may be initiated under the relevant law governing public examinations. A conviction could lead to imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Kiran said the mobile phone has been sent for forensic examination.
According to the preliminary investigation, the student used AI to search for answers during the examination. Screenshots of several questions were found on the device, but investigators found no evidence of a question paper leak.
A report on the incident has been submitted to the National Testing Agency (NTA), he added.
With IANS inputs