2021 JEE Mains paper leak case: CBI detains Russian national for allegedly hacking software

New Delhi: A Russian national has been detained by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the 2021 Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) paper leak case.

The man identified as Mikhail Shargin is the alleged mastermind and the main hacker in the tampering case, ANI reported.

“He was the mastermind in the case who has hacked the software of examination. We are questioning him to ascertain the role of the other people involved in the case and identifying the people who were giving instructions to him,” ANI quoted a senior CBI official as saying.

The accused was detained by the Bureau of Immigration at IGI Airport, Delhi while arriving in India from Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Earlier, a Look Out Circular was issued against him earlier.

JEE (Mains) paper leak case

During the investigation, it came to light that some foreign nationals were involved in compromising many online examinations including JEE (Mains) colluding with other accused in the instant case. The role of a Russian national was revealed who had allegedly tampered with the iLeon software (the platform on which the JEE(Main)-2021 examination was conducted) and he helped other accused in hacking the computer systems of suspect candidates during the examination.

In September 2021, CBI registered a case against a private company and others including its Directors and three employees, private persons(conduits), etc on the allegations of irregularities being committed in the ongoing JEE (Mains) exams 2021 by a private educational institution, its directors, their touts/associates and staff posted at the examination center and other unknown persons.

It was further alleged that the said company and its Directors were manipulating the online examination of JEE (Mains) and facilitating aspiring students to get admission in top NITs in consideration of the huge amount by solving the question paper of the applicant through remote access from a chosen examination centre in Sonepat (Haryana).

It was also alleged that the accused used to obtain 10th and 12IIth mark sheets, the User IDs, Passwords, and Post Dated Cheques of aspiring students in different parts of country as security and once admission was done, they used to collect heavy amount ranging from Rs 12-15 lakh per candidate.

Searches were conducted in Delhi & NCR, Pune, Jamshedpur, Indore and Bangalore which led to recovery of 25 Laptops, seven PCs, around 30 Post-Dated Cheques along with voluminous incriminating documents/devices including PDC mark sheets of different students.

With inputs from ANI

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