Teacher booked for making 14-year-old appear for exam under false identity

The offence came to light after the boy was caught cheating during the exam on Monday. He was questioned by the police and released on Monday evening

MUMBAI: The Borivali police have booked a tuition teacher for allegedly making a 14-year-old boy appear in a maths examination on someone else’s behalf. The exam was organised by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association for students of classes 5-8, and the offence came to light after the boy was caught cheating during the exam on Monday. He was questioned by the police and released on Monday evening.

Teacher booked for making 14-year-old appear for exam under false identity

The Mathematics Proficiency Examination, organised by the association, is open to students of all schools. Students apply for the exam, pay the fees and receive their hall tickets online and the list of candidates is published on the association’s website two days before the exam.

According to a police complaint lodged by Vrinda Mahesh Thakar (52) – principal of Mumbadevi Vidyaniketan at Gorai in Borivali West and a member of the association – a total of 139 applicants appeared for the exam held on Monday. The supervisor noticed one of the examinees, named Kavya Brijesh Italia as per the hall ticket, going to the restroom repeatedly. Suspecting some foul play, she checked and found a mobile phone with him. She also realised that the boy had posted the question paper on a WhatsApp group shortly after the exam commenced and informed Thakar.

When Thakar questioned the boy, he claimed he was from a school named Education Hub, and he had sent the paper to his sister. Thakar took the boy to the police station and asked him to call his mother. A woman named Divya Ajit Saraiya then visited the police station, claiming to be the boy’s mother, but failed to show his Aadhaar card.

When police questioned the boy again, he claimed that his real name was Yug Satish Desai, and that Saraiya ran tuition classes under the name Education Hub. He also claimed that she had instructed him to appear for the exam under a false name. Police then questioned Saraiya and booked her under section 118 (4) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. They also spoke to the boy’s father, who said that his son had left home that day claiming he was going for his classes, and released the boy.