Raipur Police Bust GATE Cheating Attempt, Six Held

Six persons, including some candidates appearing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 , were arrested on Sunday for allegedly attempting to cheat in the national-level examination, Raipur police said. Acting on a tip-off, officers from the DD Nagar police station maintained discreet surveillance around the examination centre and spotted suspicious individuals carrying electronic devices . Eight mobile phones, four Bluetooth-enabled devices, three Bluetooth earpieces , and other gadgets were recovered from them. Some of the arrested were taking the exam and allegedly read questions aloud to accomplices outside , who looked up answers and relayed them back via concealed devices.

GATE is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru , and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology on behalf of the National Coordinating Board – GATE under the Ministry of Education. The coordinating institute for GATE 2026, IISc, oversees the exam, sets the question papers, and monitors centre security. Security protocols at centres include verification of identity with admit cards and photo IDs, frisking of candidates, restrictions on electronic devices, seating arrangements, and CCTV surveillance.

The arrested have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act . The Act provides for imprisonment ranging from three to five years and fines up to ₹10 lakh for individuals caught using unfair means, with higher penalties for organised groups. Candidates caught cheating may face cancellation of their results and debarment from future exams.

Past incidents in India, such as irregularities in NEET and UGC-NET exams and the Vyapam scam , highlight the persistent challenges of ensuring fairness in competitive exams. Education experts said strict enforcement of security measures, biometric verification, real-time monitoring , and forensic analysis of answer patterns are critical to maintaining the credibility of examinations like GATE.

The arrested persons have been identified as Darshan Sehwag, Sumit Sehwag, Laxminarayan alias Lucky, Amar, Narendra Kumar, and Bunty Kumar , all residents of Haryana. Police said the investigation is ongoing .