Lucknow3 hours agoAuthor: Devanshu Tiwari
UP-STF has exposed the solver gang who burglarized the Kendriya Vidyalaya Teacher Eligibility Test. On February 25, 21 people including the leader of the gang were arrested. There were also 2 women in it. They were copying in Varanasi and Prayagraj by resorting to computer hacking. The kingpin of the Solver gang turned out to be Chittaranjan Sharma of Aligarh. He was controlling the whole game of copying from Haryana.
In the last 8 months in UP, more than 10 major cases of cheating in major examinations through hacking have come to the fore. In all, the solver gang got the papers copied using high technology in different ways. In this, the exam was passed through a Bluetooth device that looked like an ATM card. Sometimes the examinations were conducted by hiding the chip in a private part and sometimes by hacking the local area network ie LAN.
We investigated the methods of solving solver gangs in 3 districts of UP (Lucknow, Prayagraj and Varanasi). Talked to UP UP-STF Additional SP Raj Kumar Mishra and some mobile tech experts. What was discovered was shocking. Come, let’s know everything in a sequential manner.
- First thing about the solver gang that was caught on 25th February…
Solver gang members caught cheating in KV-TET exam.
Complete question paper gets solved as soon as computer is turned on
Noida STF Additional SP Raj Kumar Mishra, who busted the Solver gang, told us the story of the entire operation. According to him, on February 25, the Banaras unit of STF received input that online cheating was being done in the TET exam of Central School. The solver gang is active in the first shift from 9 am to 12 noon. This whole game of copying was being done through screen sharing. The gang was using special software to copy.
Aptech company was conducting the TET exam of Central School. Actually, what happens is that Aptech downloads the paper from its main server to the nodal centers to conduct the exam. After this the company shuts down the internet. So that the examination centers are not able to connect with the outside world. Every candidate appearing in the online examinations is given a client node, with the help of which he solves the paper. Mastermind Chittaranjan created a proxy client node of the client node given to the examinee with the help of special software. The solver gang used to solve the paper through this node.
Simply put, what happens is that with the help of a proxy node, the question paper reaches the solver gang sitting elsewhere. Where the gang solves it completely and the candidate sitting in the exam hall just sits for show off. Like in this case the mastermind was copying sitting about 800 kilometers away from the examination center.
The examiners were also involved in the solver gang
This picture was taken when the STF caught the gang red-handed.
During the examination, some boys of Aptech company were involved in cheating. All of them were in contact with Chittaranjan. Chittaranjan is a resident of Aligarh. But it had built its control room in a house in Palwal, Haryana. From where he was in constant contact with the gang. When we caught up with the solvers, they had LIVE client nodes open in their systems. In this, 3 candidates were connected through software. By connecting with this network, some solvers were placed in Banaras and Prayagraj. Who were solving the question paper.
As soon as the information was received, STF teams from Varanasi, Prayagraj and Noida started searching for solvers. Based on the inputs received, the team raided several centers in Prayagraj and Varanasi. 14 people were arrested from Varanasi and 6 from Prayagraj. Gang leader Chittaranjan was arrested from Palwal in Haryana. This was a big operation, in which STF units and district police of 3 districts were deployed.
The kingpin was sitting with 3 laptops open, suddenly STF raided
Chittaranjan is a graduate in Computer Science. When the STF team raided his control room, he was sitting with 3 laptops open. In this, through secret software, he was monitoring the question papers being solved and the activities of the solvers. Candidates’ profiles, digital OMR sheets, proxy logins and necessary documents have been found from the data recovered from him.
In interrogation with STF, he told that Varanasi and Prayagraj districts of UP have maximum number of students giving competitive exams. So he increased his gang in these cities. His target was students living in hostels and lodges and BSc-MSc pass youth. He used to include these children in his gang.
According to the STF, 17 laptops, 1 printer, 13 CPUs, 3 internet router devices, 24 mobiles, 2 ATMs and printed admit cards have been recovered from the accused. Coded data is being recovered with the help of forensic experts.
12 lakh rupees for passing the exam
According to STF’s Additional SP Raj Kumar Mishra, the solver gang takes Rs 10 to 12 lakh from the candidates for passing the exam. This amount is taken in 2 parts. 50% before the exam and rest after the exam.
According to the STF, the leader of the Solver gang had met the employees of the company conducting online exams. The picture is of Manish Rastogi.
City head of Varanasi Aptech Manish Rastogi has been caught in the case. Manish used to give Rs 20,000 per candidate to Santosh, an IT technician who used to hack computers at examination centres. Both are currently in jail. Apart from this, 2 girls (Deepti Singh of Jaunpur and Pratibha Singh of Varanasi) are also included in the 21 accused arrested.
Now…
So far you have come to know about the solver gang cheating in KV-TET exams. Let us know about other ways of copying in a hi-tech way…
Solver gang copying through hi-tech device
The owner of an electronic shop in Kidganj, Prayagraj, said on condition of anonymity, “Those who cheat in exams are well-versed in electronic gadgets. For this, they use the 3 easiest technical devices. These methods are based on GSM ie Global System for Mobile Communication.
- GSM Card: It looks like an ATM card. It has an inbuilt amplifier. The SIM is inserted in it. A fly-shaped Bluetooth spy earpiece connects to it. It is fixed inside the ear of the student. The members of the cheating gang sit at a distance of 100-150 meters from the exam center. From there the answers to all the questions are told one by one.
Two such ATM cards were recovered from the gang that was caught in the KV-TET exam.
- gsm box This device also works like a GSM card. There is only a slight difference in its texture and shape. It is a small plastic box with an amplifier inside. It has auto call answer function. Its battery lasts for 4 hours. Which is more than the time given in any exam.
The price of GSM Box ranges from 6 thousand to 15 thousand rupees. Taking out the system inside it, fitting it at different places and taking it to the exam hall.
- GSM Pen: The SIM card is also inserted in this pen. It looks like a pen, but works like a GSM Card and a GSM Box. It also connects to the Spy earpiece via Bluetooth. Makes cheating easy in exams.
The battery of this pen gives service for 3 hours. Along with Bluetooth connectivity, it can also be written easily.
Amplifiers fitted in slippers to imitate
Rajeev, who runs a mobile and electrical repair shop in Lucknow’s Naja market, also spoke to us. He told off camera, ‘The demand for micro bluetooth devices available in the market with us increases during competitive exams. Solver gangs tamper with the devices and use them to copy in new ways.
Rajeev told, “The copycat gangs have started making devices at home. These devices can be easily fitted from glasses to slippers.”
Solver gang used ‘Bluetooth slippers’ worth Rs 6 lakh for cheating in REET-2021 exam in Rajasthan. 5 people were arrested.
On February 25, the maximum number of arrests took place in Shivpur, Chitaipur and Chaubeypur of Varanasi. We also talked to the electric goods traders of these areas. The shopkeepers told that the market for electronic devices is less in Banaras. Most of the goods are procured from cities like Delhi, Noida, Lucknow and Prayagraj.
Finally, let’s know some cases of hi-tech copycats caught in competitive exams…
Case 1: August 2022, Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Selection Commission i.e. UPSSSC Forest Guard examination was going on in TD College, Jaunpur. Raju Yadav was caught copying in room number-34 of the college. Raju was copying very comfortably with the help of Bluetooth. But, meanwhile, the sound of beep-beep started coming from him. When the examiner came near, the sound of beep started again. Examiner searched the slippers kept outside. It was found that one slipper was found torn. There was a chip inside it, which was connected to the device in Raju’s ear.
Case 2: In this examination, the second case was of Prayagraj. Where a woman was caught cheating. He had hidden an electric device in his private part. The electric device, which looked like an ATM card, was connected to Bluetooth. With his help she was copying.
This girl was caught cheating in the forest guard exam at Prasad Institute in Jaunpur. She was a resident of Prayagraj. He had bluetooth connected with his ear ring.
Case 3: In the Lekhpal examination held in Kanpur on 31 July 2022, the solver gang who cheated with the help of ATM card was busted. In this, 5 to 6 people were found who were keeping an ATM card-like thing near their chest. On investigation, it was found that this card was connected to the Bluetooth device in his ear. A small speaker was also found from him.
Case 4: October 2021, a student of MPEd in Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut was caught copying in CCTV camera. The student was copying from a smart watch strapped to his wrist. On being caught, the student’s smart watch was confiscated. On checking, it was found that the smart watch had a chip. In which 26 pages of paper were saved.
Also read this ground report of UP…
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Katri Bichuiya village is situated on the foothills of Ganga in Hardoi. Here, on the afternoon of February 23, a house in the village caught fire suddenly due to a spark from the stove. Before anyone could understand anything, the strong flames of fire engulfed the entire village. As soon as the information was received, CO Bilgram Satyendra Singh, Naib Tehsildar Jyoti Verma and SHO Phool Singh along with their team reached the spot. The team of fire personnel gathered to control the fire. But by the time the fire was brought under control, 86 houses in the village were completely gutted. Read the full news…
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The burning hut, the mother-daughter imprisoned in it and the blindfolded police officer…. This is the scene of Madauli village of Kanpur. Where the mother-daughter burnt to death in front of the policemen who came to take action to run the bulldozer. The girl who died was to get married this year. She was the only daughter of the whole family, so everyone was busy preparing for her marriage with pomp. But even before that day came, such an incident happened which ended the happiness of the whole family in a jolt. Read the full news…
3. Rescue of poisonous snakes for 13 years; Cobra Tak saved; Yogi government is also a fan of work
Aditya Tiwari in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has a group named ‘Paryavaranam’, which catches dangerous snakes and releases them in the forests every day. His team of 12 people works in 5 districts of UP. Who has rescued more than 6000 snakes so far. Aditya, who has been rescuing snakes in UP since 2012, has himself saved more than 3000 snakes from death. Read the full report…