Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday night arrested a Class XII passout for allegedly operating an online fraud racket that cheated aspirants by distributing counterfeit question papers for the UP Home Guards recruitment examination. The exam was conducted recently. The accused, Nikhil Thakur, 27, was apprehended from a library premises in Bihar's Muzaffarpur after sustained surveillance and intelligence inputs.
Nikhil, a native of Muzaffarpur, was wanted in a case registered at Lucknow's Hussainganj police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology (IT) Act, and the Uttar Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Ordinance. Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF, Sudhanshu Shekhar, stated that Nikhil operated a well-organized digital racket along with an accomplice, Siddharth Mishra.
“The duo created multiple Telegram channels using virtual numbers to evade detection and began targeting candidates preparing for the home guards written examination held between April 25 and 27,” said the officer. Shekhar explained that the accused circulated “leaked” and “100% confirmed” question papers on these channels to gain the trust of aspirants. “Once candidates engaged, they were asked to pay substantial sums through UPI IDs and QR codes in exchange for access to the purported papers or assured success in the exam,” he added.
The accused exploited the pressure and urgency surrounding the examination. Many aspirants, fearing failure, transferred money believing the papers were genuine, an STF officer noted. Police seized two mobile phones from the accused, which are now being analyzed for chat records, transaction details, and links to other victims. Preliminary findings suggest that several candidates across multiple districts may have been cheated.
The STF has launched a search for the co-accused and is expanding the probe to identify the full extent of the network. The accused is being brought to Lucknow for further legal proceedings.
