Nearly 30,000 applicants who sat a Proficiency examination in Colombo in the Korean language to qualify for employment in South Korea yesterday were body searched by special police teams before the exam following information that they may misuse Short Message Service (SMS) on their mobile phones.
More than 700 police officers were assigned to 15 examination centres in Colombo to prevent any of the candidates from carrying mobile phones into the centres. The examination was conducted by the Department of Examinations on a request by the Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB).
Colombo South Deputy Inspector General H.N.B. Herath on Friday briefing the police officials involved in the search said they made the decision following a tip-off that SMSs might be used to exchange answers.
Some of the candidates had reportedly been misled by people who had promised to SMS them the correct answers and had collected money from the candidates.An Assistant Superintendent of Police was assigned to be in charge of each of the teams involved in the searches.
An FEB official said the police carried out the searches to ensure that the exam was held without any corrupt practice and to convince the Korean team in Sri Lanka that the examination was conducted properly.
However this was for the first time body searches had been carried out by the police to prevent the misuse of mobile phones.
At least one candidate who attempted to smuggle in a phone hidden in the collar of a T-shirt was detected.
Meanwhile 100 candidates were suspended after they were found cheating at the exam.
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