Test paper theft is big business

Police checking identifications of people preparing to take police exams in Meerut, India, in 2023. In a country where government jobs are highly coveted, the tests that govern hiring are a lucrative target for criminal gangs. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

WHEN Dr Shubham Mandal rushed to the airport one fateful night, it wasn’t to save lives.

Armed with a screwdriver, pliers, and a mobile phone, he was headed for a covert mission in Ahmedabad, India.

His goal? To steal question papers for a fiercely competitive police constable exam – a commodity as prized as gold in India’s job market.

Landing in Gujarat’s capital, Mandal was taken to a warehouse on the city’s outskirts. Avoiding cameras, he slipped through a back window and pried open a box labelled “confidential”.

Over successive nights, Mandal repeated the operation as fresh exam papers arrived from the printer.

Waiting outside was Ravi Atri, the alleged mastermind, and his associates. Together, they orchestrated a scheme to sell answers to thousands of paying candidates.

Hunger for government jobs

India’s burgeoning population faces an acute job crisis. Despite rapid economic growth, job creation lags, with agriculture and informal labour dominating the workforce.

Government jobs, offering stability and status, are fiercely contested. This year, nearly five million people vied for 60,000 constable positions in Uttar Pradesh.

Students studying at a park in Delhi, India. Wealthier candidates can afford coaching, while poorer ones face immense pressure to succeed. This disparity fuels the demand for shortcuts, including leaked papers. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

The competition has spawned a shadow industry of exam fraud. From leaked papers to high-tech cheating devices, the stakes are enormous.

Police records show that, over five years, at least 40 exams across 15 states were compromised, impacting millions of candidates.

In this landscape, individuals like Atri thrive, exploiting desperation for financial gain.

Pyramid of corruption

Atri – a medical school graduate turned criminal – has been linked to multiple exam scams.

His network operated like a pyramid, with agents at village and district levels recruiting paying candidates.

These aspirants were transported en masse to secret locations for crash courses on the leaked answers.

For the constable exam, Atri hired Mandal, who had gained a reputation as a skilled infiltrator of secure exam shipments.

Police documents reveal that Mandal was responsible for stealing and photographing the question papers before resealing the boxes to avoid detection. The answers were then distributed to paying clients before the exam day.

Cracks in the scheme

The racket unravelled when authorities discovered widespread leaks, prompting the exam’s cancellation.

Investigators traced the breach through Atri’s extensive network, finding incriminating evidence on his and Mandal’s phones. Both were arrested, though Mandal was later released on bail.

Atri, who denies the charges, remains in custody.

This breach highlights systemic vulnerabilities.

Atri’s operation wasn’t unique but part of a broader pattern.

Brijesh Kumar Singh, a senior officer investigating such crimes, noted that exam fraud is deeply embedded in the recruitment process.

“When millions prepare for an exam, half are also searching for leaked papers,” he said.

A second chance

Six months after the cancelled test, nearly five million candidates sat for a retest under heightened security.

At bus stops and train stations, it was chaos.

In Meerut, the train platforms were crowded with people making themselves comfortable for the night. The nearby bus station was flooded with youths in backpacks.

As they prepared to sleep on the pavement, some watched sped-up YouTube videos of tutors lecturing in front of a whiteboard.

At one exam centre on the day of the exam, police officers checked documents as a line of students made their way under a billboard advertising a hair tonic for balding.

“Only pens allowed,” a police officer kept announcing through a megaphone. “Shoes in your hand when you enter. Belts not allowed inside. Jewellery not allowed. Sleeves should not be folded.”

A police officer named Raghvendra Kumar Mishra had the difficult task of making sure all went well. The graveyard of confiscated motorcycles outside his office spoke of his usual job – he is in charge of the city’s traffic.

His large office was a makeshift war room. Half a dozen officers watched footage from the 36 centres where the examination was taking place.

Among the hopefuls was Subhash Gupta, who had travelled across states for another shot at securing a stable government job.

“Only if you land a government job are you considered a success,” he explained.

For aspirants like Gupta, the stakes are monumental. Government roles represent not just financial stability but societal validation, making the competition brutally high.

Cost of inequality

India’s exam-based recruitment system aims to be meritocratic but often perpetuates inequality.

Wealthier candidates can afford coaching, while poorer ones face immense pressure to succeed. This disparity fuels the demand for shortcuts, including leaked papers.

Harsh Dubey, a medical school hopeful, articulated the frustration: “Rich students take advantage by spending money,” he said during a protest.

The government faces a dual challenge: securing the integrity of exams and addressing the economic disparities driving the demand for fraud.

Until these systemic issues are resolved, exam scams will continue to thrive, eroding trust in a system that millions depend on for upward mobility. — ©2025 The New York Times Company