Siraha Police Destroy Seized Mobile Phones and Smartwatches from Exam Cheaters

Kathmandu. In Siraha, police have destroyed mobile phones and smartwatches seized from examinees during this year's SEE, Class 11, and 12 examinations. The video of police personnel filling an iron drum with water and submerging mobile phones in it has gone viral on social media, drawing significant attention. Social media users have questioned the police's action, calling it the destruction of people's private property. Mobile phones brought into the examination hall by students with the intention of cheating were confiscated by teams deployed at the examination centers and handed over to the police. A total of 496 mobile phones and 5 smartwatches were submerged in water and rendered completely unusable at the Siraha District Police Office premises. The market value of the destroyed mobile phones and watches is estimated to be around 1 crore rupees. Siraha's Superintendent of Police (SP) Basu Pathak informed that the Madhesh Province Examination Operation Committee and the District Examination Committee made a policy decision to destroy the mobile phones before they were destroyed. The Chairperson of the Madhesh Province Examination Operation Committee is the Province Education Minister Rani Sharma. The meeting chaired by her decided to destroy the mobile phones confiscated in the examination. Based on that decision, the District Examination Committee also decided to destroy the mobile phones, and a subcommittee was formed to destroy the said materials, SP Pathak said. SP Pathak clarified that they had three options regarding the confiscated mobile phones. He said, 'There were 3 options: destroy, auction, and return after paying a fine.' However, he claimed that since there was no clear legal basis to adopt the other two options, they were destroyed based on the province's decision. Pathak added, 'Auctioning would have led to the disclosure of individuals' private and confidential matters.' The police stated that such a strict decision had to be taken to discourage the past trend of cheating and indecent activities in examinations and to raise awareness among students.