Professor used endoscope camera, needle to leak agriculture exam paper in Chhattisgarh

Six individuals, including a professor named Yogesh Sonkesariya, were arrested by Raipur police on Saturday in connection with the leak of a B.Sc. (Agriculture) second-year, second-semester Entomology examination paper at Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (IGAU) on August 20. Sonkesariya, a 38-year-old professor at Bharti Agriculture College in Durg since 2019, is suspected of masterminding the leak.

He was entrusted with carrying examination papers from the main agricultural college to his institution and submitting answer sheets post-examination. According to university protocols, Sonkesariya collected question papers for upcoming examinations, including the Entomology paper, from Jora Agricultural College on August 17 after submitting answer sheets.

Instead of returning the Entomology paper, he took it home, which was confirmed as a security lapse by both police and university officials. Using a thin endoscope camera and a needle, Sonkesariya copied approximately 15 questions by identifying and ordering words visible through the device. The leaked paper was sold to three college students for Rs 11,000, who subsequently distributed it to five more students.

Two suspects remain at large. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Tarkeshwar Patel revealed that the investigation took 36 hours of field and technical work to trace the source and identities of the accused. Cash, mobile phones, a video-recording device, cable wires, a needle, and other items were seized from the arrested individuals.

The leak was discovered at 8:41 am on the examination morning when The Agricultural College and Research Centre, Kawardha, received an email alert. The examination, scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm across 28 agricultural colleges under IGAU, was canceled that evening. A re-examination has been announced due to the leak. The university revised its protocol for the first-year examination on Saturday, requiring the question paper to be sent by email accessible only through a One-Time Password (OTP).