‘Paper Leak’ Scam, ₹2,000 Extorted… How Students Were Being Duped on Telegram

New Delhi: A fraudulent racket that extorted money from students by claiming to leak competitive exam papers has been busted. The UP STF arrested an accused named Om Kumar from Lucknow. He is accused of creating Telegram channels—often named ‘Paper Leak’—to lure students with the promise of providing question papers and answer keys a day before the exam. In exchange, he charged approximately ₹2,000 from each candidate.

Every year, lakhs of students preparing for government jobs appear for competitive exams. Exploiting this trust, some individuals tempt them with promises of an easy shortcut. One such case has come to light in Uttar Pradesh, where a scheme involving alleged ‘paper leaks’ was being run via Telegram.

According to the UP STF, the accused, Om Kumar, was arrested in Lucknow. He is reportedly a native of Patna district in Bihar. Investigative agencies state that the accused made false claims regarding competitive exams in several states—including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh—asserting that he possessed the question papers in advance.

According to news agency reports, the accused had created multiple Telegram channels. He used names like ‘Paper Leak’ to gain the students’ trust. Similar channels were also operated for the UP CNET exam, with claims that the actual question paper and answers would be provided a day before the test.

The accused charged students ₹2,000 for this service. QR codes were shared on the Telegram channels to facilitate money transfers. The STF noted that because the amount was relatively small, many students trusted the scheme quickly and rarely filed complaints. Investigations revealed that the channels would be shut down on the day of the exam, only for a new channel to be created for the next exam. During interrogation, the accused admitted to running this operation with some associates since 2022.

The STF launched an investigation after receiving information about this matter. A complaint was also lodged by Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University, Lucknow. Subsequently, the police arrested the accused based on a technical investigation and evidence obtained from a mobile phone.

The police are currently working to identify others involved in this racket. Efforts are also underway to track down other such gangs that extort money from students by spreading rumors about paper leaks on social media.