PRAYAGRAJ: Stricter deterrents against attempted cheating in the ongoing high school and intermediate board examinations in UP have led to almost 6.

5 lakh examinees skipping various papers since last week, with 1.7 lakh of them not writing Tuesday’s Class 10 Mathematics test.“We have been successful in keeping the education mafia in check.

Using a network of CCTV cameras, the government maintains a close watch on examination centres, superintendents and room invigilators,” said Divya Kant Shukla, secretary of the secondary education council.The first sign of absenteeism attributed to stringent anti-cheating measures came on the second day of the board exams last Friday, when more than 4.

5 lakh registered examinees of classes 10 and 12 didn't turn up to write their Hindi papers.Officials of the Board of High School and Intermediate Education said teams deployed in the control room monitored 7,083 examination centres during the Class 12 Mathematics paper.Based on specific complaints, FIRs have been registered against 14 'solvers' and many impersonators across the state so far for their alleged involvement in cheating.

Till Tuesday, 24 students had been caught cheating — 16 boys and seven girls of Class 10 and a lone Class 12 boy.

Four impersonators were caught in Varanasi during the Mathematics paper.Absenteeism in the Class 12 commerce and Home Science exams, and the Class 10 computer paper held in the second half of Tuesday stood at a little over 25,000.