In a major cybercrime bust, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF)’s Cyber Crime team arrested three youths from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, for hacking the digital “SchoolPad” platform and defrauding parents and students of crores of rupees.
The accused, 19-year-old Mohammad Rizwan of Mullapur village, Sudama Diwakar of Akashpuram, and Mohammad Faraz of Bankhana, were caught after a detailed investigation. Police recovered four mobile phones, two bank passbooks, and three SIM cards used in the scam.
The fraud involved creating a sophisticated fake version of the “SchoolPad” app and sending convincing messages to parents, demanding Rs 4,990 as a fee for an “AI-enabled Robotics Lab.” Many parents, believing the messages to be genuine, transferred money to fraudulent bank accounts.
The DIS City Campus reported the scam in July 2023 after noticing that their official SchoolPad app was compromised. The criminals had hacked the platform and stolen student data from three DIS branches—City Campus, Riverside, and Mohali—to make their messages appear authentic.
The STF’s investigation tracked the transactions in the fake accounts, revealing a larger network and financial crimes involving crores of rupees.
Authorities also revealed that Mohammad Rizwan faces serious prior charges under the IT Act and Indian Penal Code sections, while Sudama Diwakar had a pending theft-related case.
