Law enforcement agencies detained 67 individuals, including 5 women, from the northern districts of Gaibandha, Rangpur and Lalmonirhat from Thursday night to Friday morning, on charges of fraudulence in the assistant teacher recruitment test for primary schools.

In Gaibandha, members of the Rapid Action Battalion detained 35 of them people from different areas of the district including examination centres, during the examination itself on Friday morning.

Several mobiles, electronic devices and various equipment to facilitate an elaborate cheating scheme were seized, said ASP Mostafizur Rahman, commander of RAB-13, during a press conference held at the Gaibandha RAB Camp's auditorium on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile in Rangpur, police detained 19 individuals, again from different areas of the district including exam centres and Rangpur city.

During this time, 80 mobile phones and devices were seized from their possession, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Moniruzzaman said in a press briefing this afternoon.

Divulging the scheme put in use by the syndicate, the Commissioner said one group would be inside the exam centre - they would take pictures of the question papers distributed in the exam centre and electronically transfer them to their fellow conspirators outside. A few of the group outside are some of our everyday math geniuses, using modern devices to solve the problems to a T. Real candidates inside the exam centres then received these answers and in some cases removed them.

Based on a tip-off, the police started the operation from Thursday night as they already had an active investigation in this regard.

Apart from Rangpur, more members of this syndicate team have been arrested from different districts of the division.

The detainees will be interrogated in this regard, said the officer, adding that a case will be filed against them.

In Lalmonirhat, 13 examinees were detained on charges amounting to cheating in the primary assistant teacher recruitment examination on Friday.

The detainees are Ashiq Siddiqui (25), Paranjan Roy (30), Nazmun Nahar (30), Rabiul Islam (31), Sahera Khatun (31), Lovely Khatun (31), Afrin Akhtar (27), Rafia Sultana (27). Khadija Khatun (30), Tripti Rani (26), Sohagi Begum (31), Mahabooba Raihana (29) and Tuli Rani Roy (29).

Omar Faruq, officer-in-charge (OC) of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, confirmed the detention on Friday afternoon.

He said that the written examination for the recruitment of assistant teachers under the Department of Primary Education was held at 10am in various centers of the district.

During the examination, 13 persons were caught red handed by the invigilators while using electronic devices in the exam halls. Later, they were handed over to the police.

Legal action will be taken upon receiving a complaint, added the officer.

The first phase of the government primary school assistant teacher recruitment test held at 535 centres under 18 districts in Rangpur, Barishal and Sylhet division.

A total of 3,60,697 candidates were expected to take part in the exam.