Police arrest 18 students, a teacher on SSC question paper leak charges in Chittagong

The authorities have expelled 33 SSC candidates from three exam centres in Chittagong on charges of acquiring leaked question papers before the test and police have arrested 18 of them.

During a raid by the district administration outside Bangladesh Women’s Association School and College centre on Tuesday, 50 students of Patiya Ideal School were found checking leaked questions on their mobile phones inside a bus.

The bus was parked at the WASA intersection of the port city when the raid was conducted, Executive Magistrate Syed Murad Ali said.

“They were looking at the images of multiple-choice questions. The leaked questions matched the original ones,” Ali said.

The authorities expelled 24 of the students and police arrested nine of them. One of the students fainted after expulsion.

The law enforcers also arrested a female teacher of the Ideal School, who was looking after the students on the bus.

Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Zillur Rahaman Chowdhury, who was present during the drive, said the arrested students and the teacher would face charges under the Public Examinations (Offences) Act and the ICT Act.   

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education) Habibur Rahman said a candidate, Nurul Islam, shared the leaked question paper with those on the bus on a Messenger group. 

Two sisters, both SSC candidates from the Women’s Association School, were arrested in front of the Police Lines Institute centre as their father was showing them the leaked questions on his mobile phone.

Watching them continue the malpractice, the other guardians protested, leading the father of the two girls to flee.

The man was later accused along with his two daughters in a case started over the incident, Magistrate Murad said.

In Fatikchharhi, seven candidates were expelled and arrested after the authorities found the leaked questions on their mobile phones half an hour before the test started.

Abul Hasnat Md Shahidul Haque, the acting Upazila executive officer or UNO of Fatikchharhi, said the questions matched with the original ones.

He also said they found a mobile phone number on their phones, through which they had paid for the leaked question paper.

“We’ve informed the police about it,” he added.

The government has issued directives to the director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, divisional commissioners and chairmen of the education boards to watch out for question leaks.

The students must take seats inside the halls, 30 minutes before the exams begin, as per the latest directives.

The government has banned the use of mobile phones near exam centres and ordered the arrest of mobile phone users within 200 metres of the centres in a desperate attempt to stop the steady flow of question leaks on the social media.