In a major cybercrime crackdown, Varanasi police arrested four individuals involved in hacking into computers during an examination at the Karan Institute of Technology on February 1, 2024. The hackers had colluded with candidates to remotely access and solve the exam papers, charging hefty fees for their services.
The case was initially registered under various sections of the IT Act and the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination Act. The cybercriminals disabled the bootable mode of the exam computers before the test and installed remote access software, such as AnyDesk, to control the systems from outside. On the day of the exam, the hackers used the computers’ IP addresses to remotely assist candidates by solving the exam questions.
The police arrested Umesh Kumar Bhargav, Himanshu Tripathi, and Ajay Kumar Maurya, the alleged mastermind behind the operation. Authorities also seized three Android mobile phones and one Apple iPhone in connection with the crime.
The operation was spearheaded by Police Commissioner Mohit Aggarwal and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Mod Kumar, with the investigation led by Senior Inspector Vijay Narayan Mishra of the Cyber Crime Police Station, Varanasi Commissionerate.