Chongqing ring busted for elaborate cheating scheme in national postgraduate exam

Eleven people were sentenced to prison in Chongqing after a court found them guilty of organizing a cheating ring for the December 2022 National Postgraduate Entrance Exam. Sentences ranged from four years and six months to one year.

The Fuling District People's Court concluded the case involving a criminal group led by Song, a longtime figure in Chongqing's adult education and training sector. In August 2022, Song allegedly plotted to use radio equipment to facilitate cheating in the national exam for higher profits.

Song assembled a team for the scheme. They recruited students willing to cheat, developed and produced cheating software, and even helped non-residents register for the exam in Chongqing by forging residency permits and manipulating social security records. The group also smuggled imposters into exam halls to photograph questions and hired "ghosts" to answer them for the paying students.

Authorities confiscated over 350 pieces of cheating equipment and apprehended 24 students involved. The court found the group had collected over 970,000 yuan ($134,000) and severely compromised the exam's fairness. The defendants received prison sentences and fines ranging from 10,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan.