23 held for using proxies in Ctg customs recruitment exam

Authorities have recently detained 23 people for using proxies in a Sepoy recruitment test of Chattogram Customs House.

The detained candidates have been handed over to police and two separate cases have been filed over the incident accusing a total of 46 people, said Rozina Khatun, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Pahartali police station.

She said 18 people were handed over on Tuesday and five more were handed over on Wednesday.

According to the case statements, the candidates used proxies in the written test for the Sepoy recruitment process. Their use of proxies became evident during their oral examination.

According to custom sources, a total of 3,344 candidates had applied and taken part in the written test for 98 Sepoy posts. Among them, 350 passed the tests and were selected for the oral examination on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Initially, during the second day of the oral examination, the handwriting of 18 candidates was found not to be matching with their writings from the written tests, said the case statement, adding that they also failed to answer questions they had written on that test.

Further interrogation revealed that the candidates had hired people with Tk 10,000 - 80,000 to give proxies on their behalf.

Five more candidates were detained on Wednesday and handed over to police.

Customs officials said although recruitment circulars for the posts were originally published in 2014 and 2017, the tests could not be held until recently due to various complications. The faces of the candidates had gone through many changes during the long gap. The detained candidates took advantage of this opportunity and used proxies in the written test.

Customs sources also said, 7 other people, who had come to take the written exam, were arrested for cheating and handed over to Khulshi police station in Chattogram.