Delhi government clerk, 'mastermind' of hi-tech SSC cheating racket, arrested
Delhi government clerk Harpal Singh Chikara, the alleged mastermind of a hi-tech SSC (Staff Selection Commission) cheating gang, has been nabbed after more than a month on the run. The gang's MO was sophisticated: it used to take remote access of candidates' computer and clear their paper for them while sitting somewhere far away. Chikara is the 11th arrest in the case.
How did the scam work?
The SSC exam is conducted online. It outsources computer-centers to provide computer labs for candidates. Chikara, the alleged kingpin, and other gang members owned labs like these. First, they would identify potential customers and lure them. On exam day, they would access the candidate's computer remotely. If Team Viewer or AMMYY didn't work, they would use the Local Area Network to connect computers.
The police kept watch for more than a month
Police discovered the racket when a candidate confessed about one Sonu's involvement. A police team approached Sonu, pretending to be parents of a candidate interested in his services. During the operation, Sonu took them to their Gandhi Vihar flat, where Gaurav explained their MO to them. Sonu, along with brother-in-law Chikara, claimed to be the chief coordinator. They demanded Rs. 10L for the work.
Moving ahead with the times
Police found the gang had started operating in 2011, when the exam was held in pen-paper mode. Then they would simply replace candidates with their own members. After the exam went online, they started their new MO of accessing candidates' computers remotely.
Police suspect they helped "several hundred" candidates cheat
In their operations, Chikara was in charge of arranging the infrastructure, while Sonu's job was to get customers. After raiding their premises, police managed to arrest four members in March, and another six last month. More people are on their radar, investigators have confirmed. Cops have identified at least 180 candidates till now, but suspect the number could go up to "several hundred."
