CBI arrests Russian national for tampering with JEE Mains exam software

He also allegedly assisted other accused in hacking the computer systems of suspect candidates during the examination.

Digital Desk: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained a Russian national for his alleged involvement in tampering with the JEE Mains 2021 exam's software.

The foreigner, known as Mikhail Shargin, was taken from the Bureau of Immigration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where he had been detained upon arrival from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Agency sleuths then questioned him.

According to a press release, it was discovered after investigations that certain foreign nationals had compromised numerous online exams, including the JEE (Mains). The statement continued, "The role of one Russian national who had allegedly tampered with the iLeon software (the platform on which the JEE(Main)-2021 examination was conducted) was revealed. He also allegedly assisted other accused in hacking the computer systems of suspect candidates during the examination.

The CBI issued a lookout notice (LOC) against the man. According to them, when the Russian national landed at the airport from abroad, central agencies informed the CBI.

According to a PTI report, the top investigative agency had Affinity Education Pvt Ltd, its three directors, Siddharth Krishna, Vishwambhar Mani Tripathi, and Govind Varshney, along with other touts and associates, in September of last year for alleged test tampering.

The three directors are accused of conspiring with other associates and touts to rig the JEE (Mains) online test in order to help aspirant students gain admission to prestigious National Institutes of Technology in exchange for sizable sums of money. They allegedly did this by remotely accessing a chosen testing location in Sonepat to answer the applicants' question papers (Haryana).

Prior to this, searches were carried out at 19 locations, including Delhi, Pune, Indore, Bangalore, and Jamshedpur. During these searches, officers recovered 25 laptops, 30 post-dated checks, many personal computers, and other evidence.

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