Mumbai: Four candidates from Haryana were arrested along with seven modified mobile devices during the non-teaching written examinations held by Central Sanskrit University for the Multi-Tasking Staff (Group D) guard or peon post at Kendriya Vidyalaya in IIT-Powai on Aug 9, and were sent to jail on Friday after completion of five days of police custody, police said.The devices seized by the Powai police were not typical smartphones and consisted of bare circuit boards without external casings, screens or keyboards. The screens and speakers were removed to create a more compact form. Doctors had to intervene to extract one micro Bluetooth device stuck deeply in one of the suspects’ ears, it was reported.Investigators were working to trace the individuals responsible for supplying the altered devices to the four suspects, identified as Devendra Singh, Bhoop Singh, Ravi Singh and Ravindra Singh. One candidate’s father came and inquired about his ward after learning about the offence. All four were sent to jail for 14 days.Powai police inspector Ganesh Patil said the modified devices incorporated a SIM card slot and a tiny lithium battery directly wired to the board, held together with a rubber band the size of a small biscuit. He said there was a single red button that linked to the Bluetooth device, which could be discreetly affixed within a shirt collar, trouser waistband or belt, while the Bluetooth component was concealed between fingers to evade detection by invigilators while entering the exam hall.Suspicion arose when invigilators observed Devendra’s unusual body movements after he struggled to establish a connection due to jammers in place. “No paper leak was uncovered,” Patil clarified.He said the internal vibrating motors and speaker components were stripped away, rendering the device silent when receiving calls. Patil said the devices were configured for automated data transmission and included a small transmitter disguised as a shirt button that hid a micro-camera lens. When candidates leaned over their exam papers, the button could automatically snap or stream images of the questions to an external accomplice. “The devices, paired with Nano Bluetooth earbuds that are inserted deep into the ear canal using a magnet, remain completely undetectable from the outside,” said Patil.DCP (West Zone-3) Datta Nalawade said Patil’s team confiscated seven such handsets and Bluetooth devices from the suspects, and medical assistance was sought to remove the micro Bluetooth embedded in one suspect’s ear. He said that following the suspects’ arrest, three unidentified individuals discarded their devices, which were subsequently found outside the examination hall.Patil’s team was identifying those who facilitated access to the modified devices and investigating whether it was part of a larger criminal network, police said.
