The Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board (MPESB) have arrested at least a dozen people after ‘imposters’ took exams for candidates during the 2023 MP Police Constable Recruitment Exam in a case that is being compared to the 2003 film ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, reported India Today.
Multiple fake candidates, known as ‘solvers,’ appeared for the exam on behalf of the real applicants and were discovered right before they joined the services.
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The constable recruitment exam was held between August 12 and September 12, 2023, and as many as 7 lakh applicants appeared for 7,090 positions. The written test results were declared in March 2024, followed by final selections made in March 2025 after physical tests.
At least a dozen people were arrested in connection with the case across three districts in Madhya Pradesh, including the real candidates and the ‘solvers’ they had employed, reported India Today.
Discrepancies were identified when several candidates arrived to assume their posts; however, their Aadhar card appeared to be fake, and their admit card photos were different from their appearance.
The case bears similarities to the 2003 film ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ where the titular character employs a ‘solver’ to take his exams, allowing him entry into medical school.
How did the fake candidates tamper with the exam process?
In the case of Ram Roop Gurjar from Morena, he was discovered after he arrived to assume his post at the SP office in Alirajpur, and mistakes were found in his Aadhar card as well as admit card.
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Officials carried out a fingerprint analysis, which confirmed their suspicions. Upon interrogation, he revealed that a solver named Amarendra Singh from Bihar had taken the exam for him for ₹1 lakh, reported India Today. Both Gurjar and Singh were arrested by the police.
Investigators found that solvers would first identify candidates willing to pay for passing marks. After this, Aadhaar biometrics were manipulated through internal system access, swapping fingerprints and facial data. The solvers would then sit for the exams and physical tests.
After the process, the candidates’ original biometrics were restored to avoid detection during the joining phase.