Student held for alleged use of AI during NEET re-exam remanded to judicial custody

Jaipur, June 22 (IANS) A female student who was caught allegedly using a mobile phone to cheat during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination on Sunday was produced before a court on Monday, which remanded her to judicial custody and sent her to jail.

During the hearing at the designated court in Jaipur, police did not seek her custodial remand.

The accused, Himanshi Tiwari, a resident of Gujar Ki Thadi, appeared before the court on Monday. After the hearing, she attempted to conceal her face while leaving the court premises.

Police have initiated the process of sending her mobile phone for forensic examination.

The forensic report will determine whether the device was used solely to search for answers or whether there was also an attempt to transmit information from the question paper to someone outside the examination centre.

On Sunday, Tiwari was caught allegedly cheating with a mobile phone while taking the NEET re-examination at a centre in Bindayaka.

A teacher present in the examination hall became suspicious of her behaviour and intervened. Upon inspection, a mobile phone was recovered from her possession.

According to officials, she had concealed the device beneath the buttons of her shirt and inside her undergarments.

During police questioning, the student reportedly admitted that she had brought the mobile phone into the examination hall to search for answers using AI tools.

Examination officials seized the device and handed it over to the police.

Investigators also found photographs of the NEET question paper on the phone, reportedly taken about 15 minutes before the examination concluded.

However, due to active signal jammers installed around the examination centre, she was allegedly unable to transmit the images or any other information to individuals outside the venue.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the metal detector sounded twice while the student was entering the examination centre.

When questioned by security staff, she allegedly claimed that the alert was caused by the metal hooks on her undergarments. She was subsequently allowed to enter the premises.

Given the seriousness of the incident, police questioned not only the student but also the centre superintendent and examination staff late into the night.

Investigators are also examining how the mobile phone bypassed security checks and reached the examination hall.

If the investigation confirms the use of unfair means during the examination, legal action may be initiated under the applicable law governing public examinations.

A conviction could result in imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Kiran said the mobile phone has been sent for forensic examination.

According to the preliminary investigation, the accused student used AI to search for answers during the examination.

Screenshots of several questions were found on the device; however, investigators found no evidence that the question paper had been leaked.

A report on the incident has been submitted to the National Testing Agency (NTA), he added.

–IANS

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