SUKKUR: Over 580 candidates were caught cheating at various centres in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations being conducted under the Sukkur Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE), Syed Ghulam Mujtaba, chairman of the board said on Wednesday.

A total of 54,319 candidates are taking the examinations at 210 centres in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze districts, he said.

Over 300 candidates were caught cheating on the first day, Tuesday, and another 279 on Wednesday, he added.

Despite the Section-144 having been enforced at and around the examination centres, groups of people including parents of candidates and policemen were found helping involved in passing cheating material into the centres.

There were instances of the use of mobile phones by candidates while solving their papers. Many of them were caught and their mobile phones confiscated.

According to officials of the board, a large number of female candidates were among those caught cheating.