India, Aug. 8 -- A firefighter deployed with the Chandigarh Fire Department was allegedly kingpin of an interstate racket that enabled candidates to cheat in government recruitment examinations using concealed nano earbuds, bluetooth devices and customised mobile phones, Delhi Police said on Friday. The cheating racket employed a highly sophisticated, technology-driven modus operandi that allowed candidates to receive answers, generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, in real time during government recruitment examinations, police said. "The syndicate charged aspirants up to Rs 12 lakh and supplied specially modified electronic gadgets that allowed candidates inside examination halls to secretly receive answers transmitted from outside," police in a statement said. Also Read - Narela: Merc-car crash kills woman pedestrian Police have arrested seven persons in this connection including the alleged mastermind, and further investigation is underway, they said The racket came to light after the Central Sanskrit University lodged a complaint on July 26 alleging use of unfair means during a Lower Division Clerk (LDC) recruitment examination held at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi's Janakpuri. "During frisking at the examination centre, officials recovered a customised mobile phone from a woman candidate, while another candidate Hemant was allegedly found carrying a Bluetooth device fitted with a SIM card and concealed nano earbuds. Total 213 candidates appeared in the examination for six vacancy," the statement read. Also Read - CM gives jobs boost to 187 MCD employees Based on the complaint, Delhi Police registered an FIR and arrested the two candidates. During interrogation, Hemant disclosed that the Bluetooth device and SIM card had been arranged by his brother Rinku through a contact Virender for Rs 12 lakh, so that answers could be relayed to him from outside the examination hall. Acting on the disclosure, a team arrested Rinku and Virender. The arrested woman candidate told police that her friend Sanni had given her the customised mobile phone, Bluetooth device, SIM card and nano earbuds following a Rs 10-lakh deal. Police then arrested Sanni, who named Deepak as an associate of the network. Also Read - Wettest August day in two years; Rain returns, so do Delhi's civic woes Deepak, a Class 12-pass, allegedly arranged the electronic gadgets and coordinated the transmission of answers during examinations. "Using technical surveillance, social media analysis and other intelligence inputs, police traced Deepak, who revealed that he was working under directions of Sonu Kumar alias Sonu Maan, the suspected kingpin," the police statement read. Police tracked Sonu to Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, where he was allegedly caught while facilitating cheating in another government recruitment examination. According to police, Sonu is employed as a firefighter in the Chandigarh Fire Department. Also Read - Delhi Police felicitates 16 innovators for AI-based policing solutions "During his arrest, the team recovered a tablet linked to a foreign account, customised mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, nano earbuds, mobile phones, SIM cards and other electronic gadgets along with incriminating documents," the statement read. Sharing details on the modus operandi, police said the cheating racket employed a highly sophisticated method that allowed candidates to receive answers in real time during government recruitment examinations. According to police, the alleged kingpin, Sonu Kumar, had converted a car into a mobile control room from where he remotely assisted candidates appearing for examinations. The vehicle was equipped with a complete technical set-up, including multiple electronic devices and internet connectivity, enabling him to solve questions as they appeared on candidates computer screens. Sonu allegedly used a car as a mobile control room, using AI to generate answers and relaying them through concealed nano earbuds. Candidates paid Rs 10-12 lakh, while police probe beneficiaries and the syndicate's wider network.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.