An Indian medical student had a Bluetooth device surgically implanted in his ear to cheat on what was his last chance to pass his final exams.
The student, who was not named, was taking his last attempt at the General Medicine exam which he had repeatedly failed since arriving at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore 11 years ago.
He was rumbled during a surprise check before the exam on Monday when invigilators frisked him and found a phone hidden in the inside pocket of his trousers connected to the Bluetooth device.
Officials searched for the Bluetooth attachment but could not find it until the student admitted under questioning that he had paid an ear, nose and throat surgeon to implant the skin-coloured device.
A second student at the private medical college was found with a small SIM-powered phone and a Bluetooth device, though it was not surgically implanted and was removed with a pin.
The devices were confiscated and sent for inspection while both students were given new answer sheets for the exam and are being investigated by the university examination committee.
Cheating is rife in India’s highly competitive medical school exams and authorities have in recent years struggled to stop pupils using ever-more sophisticated methods of cheating to pass.
The student was taking the exam alongside 13 others when invigilators arrived for a surprise check for cheating ahead of the test on Monday, Dr Sanjay Dixit, dean at the medical college told The Independent.
Officials from Devi Ahilya Bai University ‘confiscated the devices’ and ‘seized the answer sheets’ after finding the devices, Dr Dixit said.
He said both students had hidden devices because they knew they were not allowed to use electronics during the exam and that they were likely to be checked.
They are both being investigated by the university examination committee and could face police charges once the probe is completed, deputy registrar Rachna Thakur told the Hindustan Times.
The Vice Chancellor of the invigilators, Renu Jain, said: ‘We think these microphones were surgically fitted in the ears of both the students.
‘Cases have been prepared against both the students. A committee of DAVV will take a decision in this regard.’
