NAGPUR: An Artificial Intelligence-driven cheating racket during the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC Class 12) examinations was busted last week in the once Maoist-hit Gadchiroli district, known for its backwardness and low internet penetration. Education department sources said the political science, chemistry and physics papers were likely compromised. The racket using ChatGPT unfolded at an exam centre in Chamorshi on February 18.A surprise raid by a flying squad led by zilla parishad chief executive officer (CEO) Suhas Gade exposed the racket. Arriving just minutes before the exam ended around 4.55pm, the team caught the exam centre staff with chits, which turned out to be answers generated from ChatGPT.

While the squad was collecting chits strewn in the premises, they noticed the peon, Suraj Kelzarkar, making a suspicious entry. His mobile phone was seized and a scrutiny revealed he had forwarded question papers to a teacher at the same school, Mahendra Kirme.An inquiry unearthed that questions were photographed or relayed out of the hall, fed into ChatGPT for instant, accurate responses, printed nearby, and smuggled back to students for mass copying. This ‘hi-tech’ method replaced traditional copying techniques, marking a new low in exam fraud.ZP CEO Gade stated he was conducting checks when he stumbled upon chits with answers written on them. “We formed a probe committee under the education officer. Actions were initiated to suspend four persons,” he said.Vasudev Bhuse, education officer (secondary), stated the matter was already reported to the HSC board. “School teacher Sushil Lanjewar, exam centre conductor Mahendra Burlewar, another teacher Mahendra Kirme and a peon Suraj Kelzarkar have been named in an FIR. While Lanjewar has been suspended, action will be taken against other accused too,” said Bhuse.Gadchiroli, once a hotspot for Maoist activities, was striving to improve schooling and youth opportunities, making this malpractice particularly alarming as it erodes trust in the system meant to uplift backward areas.