The seized cellphones. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, April 12: A team from Ranchi University today swooped down on centres hosting the Part III examination and seized as many as 16 mobile phones from students.

The authorities claimed that the handsets were brought into the hall by the candidates to help them get answers to questions via SMS.

The surprise checks, which have been going on for a few days, was conducted today at Jamshedpur Co-operative College and Jamshedpur Workers? College, centres for the BA, B.Sc and B.Com Part III exams. While 399 students were taking the test from Jamshedpur Co-operative College, 419 were appearing from the workers? college.

?To avoid any malpractice during examinations, the university branch office was asked to carry out these raids at all colleges during examination,? said S.S. Razi, principal of Jamshedpur Workers? College and co-ordinator of the Ranchi University branch office in the city.

The university has banned cellphones during examinations. Similar checks were also conducted in other city colleges in the last few days. ?During the surprise visits, we had caught only a few students carrying cellphones to examination halls. They were given a warning but today since the number was high we decided to penalise them,? said Usha Shukla, deputy co-ordinator, RU branch office.

Of the 16 mobile phones seized, six were confiscated by the authorities while the other 10 were returned after students gave a written undertaking that they would henceforth not carry the gadgets while writing exams.

As for the other six sets, the authorities will examine the message boxes to find out who supplied the answers to the candidates.

Amid the mobile frenzy, Abhishek Singh alias Pinku, who is serving a term at the Sakchi subdivisional jail, today reached the workers? college campus with four new escorts who were given seats at a corner of the hall.

But unlike the previous time, neither his cronies were allowed to enter the college premises nor was there any steady flow of lassi and pan parag.