Probing finds police exam papers with suspicious marks

“We have already gone through about 4,000 sets of exam papers. Of them, more than 900 contained something suspicious,” Provincial Police Region 3 deputy commander Maj General Jaktip Holasutakul said on Friday. He is heading the investigation into the alleged cheating. 

He said there were more than 36,000 sets of exam papers from the June 10 examination.

“We will summon the test takers whose exam papers contain suspicious marks and symbols, as well as their parents,” he said. “We will determine whether they were involved in cheating.”

To date, six suspects including the wife of a policeman have been arrested for their alleged roles in the fraud. Some were caught with signal transmitters. 

The Nakhon Ratchasima Court has now approved the arrest warrant for one more suspect, Wiboonsak Saenjak. 

National Police Office’s spokesman Maj General Piya Utayo said Wiboonsak, 29, was suspected of playing a key role in the exam cheating network. 

“We believe he’s a key go-between,” Piya said.

Two policemen, Captain Sananpon Kallayawattanangarm and Pol Sen Sgt Major Wachiranusorn Pongphan, have also been transferred out of the Mueang Si Sa Ket Police Station for their close links to an arrested suspect. 

“We expect to conclude the investigation by June 18,” Jaktip said.

Piya said apart from examining the exam papers, police investigators had also checked recordings from closed-circuit television systems at hotels and other target locations. 

“We have also got some clues from social media,” he said. 

On Monday, National Police Commissioner General Preawpan Damapong will hold a teleconference with all relevant agencies in a bid to prevent cheating in the new police recruitment exams.