10-group network raised millions from over 1,300 students; suspect confesses to having generated papers using artificial intelligence
KARACHI:
Karachi police on Monday arrested four members of an organized network involved in leaking Matric and Intermediate Board examination papers and collected millions of rupees from students in exchange.
Karachi’s police chief had tasked the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) with tracking the network, which included 10 groups that leaked exam papers to students via WhatsApp a night before the exams.
SIU Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Samiullah Soomro, speaking to Express Pakinomistsaid complaints of online fraud had been received for some time. The leaked papers, he noted, were 70% to 90% accurate.
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He said the arrested persons had initially created eight WhatsApp groups with over 1,300 students added. Members were informed the night before an exam that the paper had been leaked and was available from the administrator, and interested students were asked to contact them via direct message to obtain the paper.
Soomro said police discovered two more WhatsApp groups during the investigation. He added that the police had so far arrested the ringleaders of four of the ten groups.
SSP Soomro said the police suspected that some persons from Matric and Intermediate Boards may also be involved in the network through whom the papers were leaked to the suspects.
During questioning, he said a suspect confessed to creating the papers himself using artificial intelligence. The suspect claimed that he used past papers and guess papers to generate new ones with AI, hence the leaked papers were not 100% accurate.
He then sold these papers to students through WhatsApp groups.
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SSP Soomro added that the suspects were collecting payments from students through online media and stated that the police had obtained records of these transactions. Further investigation revealed that the main number used to manage the WhatsApp groups was registered in the United Kingdom and efforts are underway to obtain its details.
The SSP further said that the police recovered cash, mobile phones, hard drives and transaction records from the suspects who were arrested in Malir, Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and New Karachi.
The SIU will present the suspects in court on Tuesday for their physical custody.
