A Bangladeshi politician has been expelled from university after reportedly hiring a small ‘class’ of her impersonators to take exams on her behalf.

Apparently being unable to tackle the challenge of combining parliamentary work and university study, Tamanna Nusrat from the ruling Awami League party found at least eight female students who looked like her and paid them to pass her university tests. The fraud had been successful for some time. Nusrat - or those acting in her name - managed to pass as many as 13 exams.

The scheme was revealed when local broadcaster Nagorik TV entered a test hall and confronted one of the women posing as Nusrat, turning a personal cheating fail into a TV scandal.

Nusrat, who became a member of parliament last year, was studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree with the Bangladesh Open University. Vice Chancellor of the University has commented on the case, ruling out any exceptions for the MP: “We expelled her because she has committed a crime. A crime is a crime. She will never be able to get admitted here again.”

It is still unclear if Nusrat is to keep her parliamentary seat after a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court suggested, according to local media, the authorities to amend the existing law by including a provision to expel a lawmaker for “this type of immoral acts”.

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Test fraud is a common problem in Bangladesh with a history of government addressing the problem at a law enforcement level. Country’s police intercepted a ring of professional exam cheaters in Dhaka in 2012. They facilitated successful test results by sending answers to mobile phones disguised as wrist watches.

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