Ranchi | A major high-tech examination fraud has been uncovered during the ongoing SSC GD Constable recruitment examination in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi, where police arrested six aspirants, including a woman, for allegedly using remote-access technology to cheat during the online test. Investigators revealed that a Bihar-based solver gang had struck a deal worth ₹78 lakh with the candidates to help them clear the examination.
The arrests were made during a raid at an online examination centre located in Ranchi’s Pandra area. According to investigators, each candidate had allegedly agreed to pay ₹13 lakh to the gang in exchange for clearing the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination. Initial payments had already been demanded before the examination process began.
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Police identified the arrested candidates as Hrishikesh Kumar Yadav from Madhubani, Rajkumar from Kanhai Pur in Patna, Anu Kumari from Arwal Mahendiya, Aryan Kumar from Koderma, Rahul Kumar from Hazaribagh and Ravi Ranjan Kujur from Gumla. All of them had appeared for the SSC GD Constable examination at the centre when the police conducted the surprise raid.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly admitted that the entire operation was being handled using advanced digital techniques. The candidates were instructed to simply sit for the examination while the answers were being solved remotely by members of the solver gang operating from outside the centre. Investigators found evidence suggesting that the examination systems had been connected through remote-access software, allowing external operators to control the computers in real time.
According to police sources, the gang had instructed each candidate to deposit ₹2 lakh within three days of the examination, while the remaining ₹11 lakh was to be paid after successful selection. Officials were surprised to discover that none of the candidates had physically met the gang members. All communication had reportedly taken place through phone calls and online messaging platforms.
The investigation further revealed that the aspirants had been asked to send photographs of the clothes they would wear on the examination day. Police suspect this was done to help technical operators identify the candidates through surveillance systems and coordinate the cheating process more efficiently inside the examination hall.
After receiving confidential information regarding irregularities at the centre, a special team conducted the raid and found suspicious activity on several computer screens. Police seized a master computer allegedly being used to control multiple systems simultaneously. Preliminary findings indicate that the candidates’ terminals were linked to a central control system from where answers were being marked remotely. Officials also suspect that external networks were connected through specialised digital infrastructure to facilitate the fraud.
During the raid, the owner of the examination centre and the technical superintendent allegedly fled the premises. Investigators believe both individuals may have been directly involved with the solver gang and played a key role in enabling the operation. Multiple raids are now being conducted to trace their whereabouts.
Authorities are also trying to determine whether the network was operating only in Jharkhand or had links to similar recruitment examination frauds in other states as well. The seized mobile phones, digital logs and computer systems are now undergoing forensic examination.
Cyber crime experts believe the case highlights the growing misuse of digital infrastructure in competitive examinations. Renowned cyber crime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said remote-access-enabled cheating modules could become a major threat to recruitment examinations in the future.
According to him, “Solver gangs are no longer relying on traditional cheating methods. They are now exploiting digital examination infrastructure, including local servers, networking systems and remote connectivity tools. Real-time monitoring of examination networks has become essential.”
The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the security mechanisms being used in online competitive examinations across the country. Investigators are now examining possible financial transactions between examination centre operators, technical staff and external handlers linked to the racket.
