DANGSHAN, China, June 23 (UPI) -- A farmer in eastern China and his brother have been charged with orchestrating a scheme to help failing students pass the national college entrance exam.
They allegedly hired university students to take the national examination for others. A middle-school principal and eight other teachers and officials allegedly agreed to provide fake identification in the name of students who needed high scores.
Investigators said the percentage of students who registered for the exam and failed to show up to take it was twice the average level this year. Police are contacting the no-shows to find out if their absence was related to the scam.
Many students who had allegedly been offered 1,000 yuan ($130) to take the exam did not take it because they heard police had learned of the scheme.
The alleged ringleaders include Wang Wenxian, a farmer in Dangshan; his brother Wang Wenli; and another man, Fu Xiaokui. They allegedly paid Sun Feng, a university student, 300,000 yuan (almost $40,000) to recruit university students as ringers for the testing.
