Paper chase ends in handcuffs

Cybersecurity student used AI to 'crack' board exams, duped over 1,300 students

KARACHI:

Four members of multiple groups involved in leaking Matric and Intermediate board exam papers and earning millions of rupees have been arrested.

The Karachi Police Chief tasked the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) with tracing the organised network behind the paper leaks. These ten groups used to leak exam papers to students via WhatsApp groups - a night before the exams.

SSP SIU Samiullah Soomro, speaking to The Express Tribune, said complaints of online fraud had been received for quite some time. Surprisingly, the leaked papers were 70 to 90 per cent accurate.

One of the suspects is a student of cybersecurity. The arrested individuals had initially created eight WhatsApp groups with over 1,300 students added. In these groups, members were informed a night before the exam that the paper had been leaked and was available with the admin. Interested students could contact them via direct message to obtain the paper. During the investigation, police discovered two more WhatsApp groups.

Police have arrested the ringleaders of four out of the ten groups. Responding to a question, Soomro said police suspect that some individuals from the Matric and Intermediate Boards may also be involved, through whom the papers were originally leaked to the suspects.

However, during interrogation, one suspect named Mubeen - a cybersecurity student - confessed that he created the papers himself using artificial intelligence. He used past papers and guess papers to generate a new paper with AI, which is why the leaked papers were never 100 per cent accurate. He then sold these papers to students via WhatsApp groups.

Soomro added that the suspects collected money from students through JazzCash and Easypaisa, and police have obtained records of these transactions.

The main number used to manage the WhatsApp groups is from the UK, and efforts are underway to obtain its details. Police have also recovered money earned through the paper leaks, along with mobile phones, hard drives, and transaction records from the suspects.

The arrests were made from the areas of Malir, Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and New Karachi.

The SIU police will present the suspects in court on Tuesday and seek their physical remand.