Teen arrested for hacking MPSC website for dark net clients

The youngster also posted the details on a telegram channel ‘MPSC 2023 A’, stating that those who wanted the question papers could contact him. He has been identified as Rohit Kamble, 19, a second-year BSc student from Pune

NAVI MUMBAI: The recently established Navi Mumbai cybercrime police station has nabbed a teenage student for hacking the external link on the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) website and downloading over 94,000 admit cards. The accused is reported to have struck a deal for $400 on the dark net for this.

Navi Mumbai, India - May 25, 2023: Teenager arrested for hacking MPSC website, showcased before the media during a press conference held at CP Office, CBD, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Thursday, May 25, 2023. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The youngster also posted the details on a telegram channel ‘MPSC 2023 A’, stating that those who wanted the question papers could contact him. He has been identified as Rohit Kamble, 19, a second-year BSc student from Pune.

“The internal link for sourcing admit cards of the MPSC non-gazetted services combined prelims for Groups B and C had been posted on the website,” said Navi Mumbai police commissioner Milind Bharambe. “We received a complaint that an unidentified person had illegally accessed the link by making changes in it. He had sourced information and illegally downloaded 94,195 admit cards.”

A complaint about the leaked admit cards was filed by MPSC joint secretary Sunil Avtade at the CBD Belapur police station on April 23. Since the case was registered under the IT Act and involved cyber issue challenges, it was handed over to Vijay Waghmare, senior police inspector at the Navi Mumbai cyber police station.

The commissioner said that following his interrogation by Waghmare, the accused confessed to his crime and was arrested on May 24. “Rohit is a second-year student of the BSc cyber and digital science course in Pune University,” he said. “He has earlier done courses in ethical hacking and penetration-testing. Investigations have revealed that he was in touch with hacker groups on the dark net, and one of these asked him to get the information in return for $400. However, since the case was registered the very next day, we are investigating if the deal went through or not. We are also on the lookout for an accomplice of his.”

Bharambe explained that dealings on the dark net were done through crypto currencies. “We have learnt that the accused has transacted in crypto currency on the dark net earlier too,” he said. “We are investigating his family background, but prima facie from his lifestyle and the gadgets recovered from him, it appears that he had additional income.”