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Rabat – Moroccan judicial police arrested two individuals in the eastern city of Berkane on July 2, suspected of trafficking foreign electronic equipment intended for cheating on school exams.
Police members conducted the operation based on detailed information provided by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
The 31- and 37-year-old suspects put the material up for sale on social networks as a means for students to cheat on school exams, declared the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) in a press release.
Police officers arrested the two individuals in the act, while field investigations led to the seizure of 260 earbuds, 213 electronic transmission chips, 32 memory cards, 27 headphones, as well as six mobile phones and a sum of MAD 8,706 ($897) in local currency and euros.
#مكافحة_الغش
أمن بركان ..توقيف شخصين للاشتباه في تورطهما في قضية حيازة وترويج أجهزة إلكترونية بغرض استخدامها في الغش في الامتحانات المدرسية pic.twitter.com/OFfb9Z2eos— DGSN MAROC (@DGSN_MAROC) July 2, 2020
Police put the two suspects in custody for further investigation to determine the precise circumstances of their case, concluded DGSN.
This is the seventh police operation related to the trafficking of electronic equipment intended for cheating on exams that DGSN has reported in the lead-up to Morocco’s baccalaureate exams.
The Berkane case adds to the arrest of 15 other suspects, in six different operations, in the cities of Sale, Temara, Agadir, Oujda, Meknes, and Tangier.
During baccalaureate exams in Morocco, some students opt for cheating out of fear of failing the final high school exam. The exam is considered by many Moroccans to be the most important determining factor of a student’s academic and professional future.
Moroccan students are set to take the baccalaureate exams between July 3 and 9 to qualify for enrollment at higher education institutions and universities. A total of 441,238 candidates have registered to take the exam this year.
This year has seen more arrests for cheating tools trafficking than most other years, perhaps explained by the special socially-distanced circumstances of the 2020 exam, due to COVID-19.
The Moroccan Ministry of Education decided to host baccalaureate exams in large sport facilities, covered halls, and amphitheaters, under strict measures, to ensure the safety of the candidates. Some will also sit for the exam in schools, but there will be no more than 10 candidates in any single classroom.
