LUCKNOW, March 26 -- The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has unearthed a cheating syndicate that manipulated the 'amanuensis' (proxy writer) provision in competitive examinations by using forged Persons with Disabilities (PwD) certificates, allowing candidates to get their papers solved by proxy writers, senior police officials said in a press statement on Wednesday. The racket was detected during examinations conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) between March 22 and March 25, 2026, including the EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential Schools) recruitment exam (Tier-II) and the junior secretariat assistant examination. Acting on intelligence inputs, STF teams conducted surveillance and intercepted suspects at an examination centre in Vikas Nagar, Lucknow, leading to the arrest of nine individuals. Investigations revealed that the gang targeted unemployed aspirants seeking government jobs and lured them with assurances of clearing exams. Candidates were instructed to obtain or were provided with forged PwD certificates, declaring them eligible for writers. Once registered under the PwD category, the gang arranged "professional writers", who were often academically stronger individuals. These writers would appear in the examination hall on the the pretext of assisting disabled candidates but would instead independently solve the entire question paper. The gang maintained a network spanning multiple districts, including Jhansi, Jalaun, Lucknow and even parts of Delhi. They charged hefty sums from candidates in exchange for guaranteeing success through this fraudulent method. The STF recovered 13 mobile phones, two laptops, Rs 2,70,475 cash, a four-wheeler, and six forged PwD certificates. The arrested accused have been identified as Raj Kishore, resident of Bherausa Maud, Moth, Jhansi, Neeraj Jha, resident of Rohini, North West Delhi, Ram Milan, resident of Poonchh, Jhansi, Satyam Kumar, resident of Ravinagar, Saharanpur (currently residing in Jankipuram, Lucknow), Manjeet Mishra, resident of Ashok City, Medical College area, Jhansi (alleged kingpin), Akash Agrawal, resident of Moth, Jhansi, Saurabh Soni, resident of Mohalla Moth, Jhansi, Abhishek Yadav, resident of Subhash Nagar, Konch, Jalaun and Deepak Kumar, resident of Aharanpur, Musafirkhana, Amethi. During interrogation, the alleged kingpin Manjeet Mishra admitted that the gang had been systematically exploiting recruitment examinations by placing skilled solvers as writers and collecting money from candidates in return. A case was registered at Vikas Nagar police station in Lucknow under relevant sections of the BNS and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024....