Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Delhi Police Bust ChatGPT-Aided Exam Cheating Racket Run by Fireman
Some adults wanted government jobs but did not want to study for the exams.
A group of people made a secret plan to help them cheat.
They hid tiny cameras near shirt buttons and put tiny earbuds in the candidates' ears.
During the test, the camera took pictures of the questions.
A helper sitting in a car used a computer tool called ChatGPT to find the answers.
Then the helper whispered the answers into the tiny earbuds.
The job seekers paid a lot of money, between 8 and 12 lakh rupees, for this help.
Police caught two cheaters during an exam in Delhi and then arrested the people who ran the plan, including a fireman.
Police are now checking whether other exams were also affected.
Delhi Police arrested seven people - eight are named in another report - including alleged mastermind Sonu Kumar, a firefighter with the Chandigarh Fire Department.
The racket came to light after two candidates were caught cheating in a Central Sanskrit University Lower Division Clerk exam in Delhi's Janakpuri.
Candidates were charged between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 12 lakh for guaranteed success, mainly in Group D recruitment exams.
The gang supplied hidden button cameras, nano earbuds, GSM devices and customised phones, with answers generated by AI tools such as ChatGPT and relayed in real time.
Sonu allegedly ran operations from a car converted into a mobile control room; 10-12 beneficiaries have been identified so far.
- Who
- Delhi Police arrested seven people (eight named in one report) including alleged mastermind Sonu Kumar, a Chandigarh Fire Department firefighter, plus candidates and agents such as Hemant Sharma, Rinku Sharma, Deepak, Sunny/Sanni and Virender.
- What
- An interstate racket that helped candidates cheat in government recruitment exams using hidden cameras, nano earbuds, GSM/Bluetooth devices, customised phones and AI tools such as ChatGPT to relay answers in real time.
- When
- Reported on Friday, August 7; one report says two candidates were caught on May 26, while PTI states the Central Sanskrit University complaint was lodged on July 26.
- Where
- Delhi, where the exam was held at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Janakpuri; the mastermind works in Chandigarh and was arrested in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, with suspected links to several states.
- Why
- Candidates paid Rs 8-12 lakh (a Rs 10-12 lakh fee per police) for guaranteed success in recruitment examinations.
- Alleged mastermind
- Sonu Kumar alias Sonu Maan, firefighter with the Chandigarh Fire Department since 2022
- People arrested
- 7 per PTI; another report names 8 accused
- Exam where racket was exposed
- Central Sanskrit University LDC exam at a Kendriya Vidyalaya, Janakpuri, Delhi
- Candidates appeared
- 213 per PTI; around 256 per one report, for six LDC posts
- Fee charged
- Rs 8-12 lakh per candidate (Rs 10-12 lakh per police statement)
- Technology used
- ChatGPT, hidden button cameras, nano earbuds, GSM and Bluetooth devices, customised phones
- Items seized
- Seven mobile phones, four GSM devices, a tablet, a Tata Nexon and other gadgets
- Suspected beneficiaries
- 10-12 candidates identified so far, including a lab attendant at Lady Irwin College
