Uttarakhand STF Arrests Gang Members Involved in SSC MTS Exam Cheating

The Uttarakhand STF has arrested two individuals linked to a gang facilitating cheating in the SSC MTS recruitment exam through computer hacking. The operation uncovered advanced methods of cheating at the Mahadev Digital Zone examination centre.

In a joint operation, the special task forces of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand apprehended two individuals in Dehradun. These individuals are suspected members of a gang involved in cheating during the Multi-Tasking Staff competitive examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). The arrests were made on Friday, according to officials.

The suspects, identified as Nitish Kumar from Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh, and Bhaskar Naithani from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, were caught in the Kotwali police station area. Brijesh Kumar Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police from the Meerut unit of the UP STF, confirmed these details. The operation was carried out based on confidential information received by the authorities.

Cheating Methods Uncovered

Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang facilitated cheating through computer hacking at the Mahadev Digital Zone examination centre. This centre was used for the SSC MTS recruitment examination conducted by Eduquity company. The accused allegedly provided improper assistance to candidates by creating remote access through local networking and proxy server setups.

During a press conference, Inspector General of Police, Uttarakhand STF, Nilesh Anand Bharne, explained that a raid was conducted at the Mahadev Digital Zone examination centre located at MKP Inter College. The raid led to the discovery of a 24x24-inch underground chamber pit in a corner of the server room near the examination lab.

Equipment Seized

Inside this chamber, two laptops with routers were found operating remotely in an automated state. These laptops were used to assist in solving question papers during the online examination. The STF teams seized and sealed the entire system, including laptops and routers, and arrested two accused individuals.

Four mobile phones, chargers, cables, and other equipment were also recovered from those arrested. A case has been registered against them under various sections of the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination Measures for Prevention and Control of Unfair Means in Recruitment Act, 2023, sections 3182, 61, 11134 of the Indian Penal Code, and section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

Financial Transactions and Further Investigations

During interrogation, it was revealed that Rs 10 lakh was demanded from each candidate with promises of passing the examination. The question papers were solved by taking remote access to their computers using advanced technology. Information about associates of the accused was also obtained during questioning.

Police teams are actively conducting raids and searches at possible locations to find these associates. Bharne mentioned that this might be the first case in India where a complete system was installed underground in an examination centre's server room to solve question papers remotely using IP addresses from different locations.

This operation highlights significant security breaches in examination processes. It underscores the need for stringent measures to prevent such incidents in future examinations across India.

With inputs from PTI