The use of an advanced Artificial Intelligence-based face recognition software has helped the Uttar Pradesh Police arrest 87 suspected cheats who appeared in a government recruitment exam at centres across the state, officials said on Wednesday.
They said while the maximum number of suspects were arrested in Lucknow (11), a total of 12 were nabbed in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts, adjoining Delhi.
Those arrested included dummy candidates known as ‘solvers’ who appeared fraudulently in place of actual aspirants and those using unfair means to clear the test for recruitment as Gram Vikas Adhikari (Village Development Officer) conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) on Tuesday.
"Under the guidance of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, all out efforts were made by UPSSSC to ensure purity and sanctity of the exam. A close watch and monitoring of the exam were done at UPSSSC level with live streaming of all exam-related activities at all the centres," a senior police officer said.
"By using advanced Artificial Intelligence-based face recognition software and technology deployed by UPSSSC and with active support and help of Special Task Force and district as well as local police administration, as many as 87 ‘solvers’ (including a female) were caught on Tuesday," the officer said.
Maximum such suspects were held in Lucknow (11), followed by Banda (10), Aligarh (8), Kanpur (8), Varanasi (8), Ghaziabad (7), Gorakhpur (6), Azamgarh (5), Gautam Buddh Nagar (5), Mirzapur (5), Agra (4), Jhansi (4), Basti (2), and one each in Bareilly, Meerut, Prayagraj and Moradabad, according to police.
The police said suitable legal action is being taken in all these cases at the respective districts including filing of FIRs on charges of cheating, forgery, and using unfair means during state-held public examinations.