Delhi Police uncover alleged exam racket using button cameras and concealed earpieces

A concealed camera disguised as a shirt button, customised mobile phones and tiny Bluetooth earpieces have helped Delhi Police uncover an alleged organised cheating network targeting government recruitment examinations, according to a chargesheet filed before a special fast-track court.

The 500-page chargesheet, filed on September 23 before special fast-track judge Ajay Gupta at Rouse Avenue Courts, names eight accused and describes an alleged “sophisticated” and “well-planned” operation that investigators say had been running for nearly six years.

Cognisance of the chargesheet is yet to be taken.

The case is the first chargesheet filed by Delhi Police before the fast-track court designated to deal with cases under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, including the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

Two candidates caught with concealed devices

The racket came to light during a Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC) recruitment examination conducted by Central Sanskrit University on July 26 at a centre in Janakpuri.

Two candidates, Hemant and Aarti, were allegedly caught using electronic devices during the examination. According to the FIR, Aarti had concealed a phone beneath her clothes, while Hemant was found in another room carrying a wireless device and earbuds.

Police said the discovery of the devices led investigators to a wider network involving candidates, middlemen and people supplying customised equipment.

Earlier police accounts said the examination had been held at Kendriya Vidyalaya, C-2, Janakpuri. Investigators said around 256 candidates had appeared for the examination for six LDC posts.

Police subsequently arrested seven people, including the alleged mastermind, Sonu Kumar, while the chargesheet filed later names eight accused.

The accused include Sonu Kumar, a fireman with the Chandigarh Fire Department from Haryana's Dadri, and Deepak, a lab attendant at Hyderabad University. The chargesheet alleges that Sonu and Deepak had been operating the network since 2020.

How the alleged cheating system worked

According to the chargesheet, candidates were provided with customised mobile phones, wireless devices and specially designed clothing before entering examination centres.

The phones were allegedly modified using applications called “SC-OS6” and “Air Droid”, which were used to capture and transmit photographs of question papers.

In Aarti's case, police said a mobile phone was fixed inside her shirt at the position of the second button, allowing its camera to photograph the examination paper while making the device appear to be part of her clothing.

Aarti allegedly went to the washroom to adjust the camera and transmit photographs of the question paper. She was caught there and, according to police, flushed the Bluetooth earbuds down the toilet.

The photographs were allegedly sent to an electronic tablet operated by middlemen and question solvers. The answers were then relayed to candidates inside examination halls through concealed Bluetooth earpieces.

Police said the devices recovered during the investigation included customised mobile phones, Bluetooth equipment fitted with SIM cards, nano earpieces and a tablet linked to a foreign WhatsApp account.

Investigators have also alleged that candidates were charged as much as ₹12 lakh for assistance in clearing recruitment examinations.

Investigation points to wider interstate network

The chargesheet identifies Sonu Kumar as the alleged mastermind. He has also been identified in earlier police accounts as Sonu Maan or “Paperwala”. Police said he had been working with the Chandigarh Fire Department since 2022.

Investigators have alleged that the network operated across multiple states and involved people who sourced candidates, arranged electronic equipment and facilitated communication between examination halls and question solvers.

Police had earlier identified Sanni, a laboratory attendant at Delhi University's Lady Irwin College, as an alleged agent who helped identify candidates and connect them with the syndicate. Other accused identified during the investigation included job aspirants Aarti and Hemant, Hemant's brother Rinku, and alleged middlemen Virender and Deepak.

According to the investigation, Hemant allegedly told police that his electronic equipment had been arranged by his elder brother Rinku through Virender. Police also alleged that Rinku and Virender had known each other for a long time because they came from nearby villages in Rohtak.

The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, criminal conspiracy, petty organised crime and causing disappearance of evidence, besides provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.

The chargesheet now places the alleged operation before the special fast-track court, although the court is yet to take cognisance of the police report.