In a joint operation with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force, the Delhi Police on Wednesday busted a gang of men who used to solve the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination, charge anything from Rs 3 to Rs 10 lakh from candidates.
Jatin Narwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) said, “We have arrested four men — Ajay Jaiswal, Sonu Singh, Gaurav and Paramjeet. Two other persons — Harpal and Anni — are absconding. We have recovered cash worth Rs 51 lakh, three laptops, ten mobile phones and other devices used to solve exam papers.”
The gang was running more than ten examination centres where candidates would cheat using the Team Viewer software.
“The accused would gain access to the computer systems of the candidates who paid money. The solver would then answer all the questions using the software. When the Team Viewer software could not be used, they would take control of the computer by fixing the LAN connections with that of another computer in the exam centre and answer all the questions,” said a senior police officer, privy to the investigation.
The officer added Harpal and Sonu were the main gang leaders. The two accused were in partnership as Harpal would provide the necessary infrastructure while Sonu would help in getting candidates.
The Special Staff of the Delhi Police North district said the gang members were arrested after the cops had raided a building in Timarpur area in North Delhi on Tuesday.
Police said they will go through the mobile phones to ascertain the number of candidates who had cheated in the exams. Police said the candidate’s number may shoot up to “several hundred”. “We have their WhatsApp screenshots, call details and other crucial evidence,” said a police officer.
According to police, the gang started operating in 2011. “The members had made their initial forays into the cheating gang by setting up dummy candidates in written exams. Later, when the online exam format had begun, the gang members thought of using Team Viewer software and also examination centres,” police said.
The UP STF had got inputs about Sonu’s involvement in the gang and mounted surveillance on him for 15 days.
“We wanted evidence against Sonu before the raid. So we waited for him to make his move. Our officers caught him when he was helping a candidate solve his paper through Team Viwer. The Delhi Police was then informed about the raid,” said a senior police investigator.
Police have said the gang’s main base of operations was in Delhi.
However, police have also managed to trace their activities in other States. “One of the accused, Gaurav, had visited a Jaipur-based centre on March 20 and helped a candidate cheat in his SSC exam,” added the officer.