New Delhi: Delhi Police’s crime branch has dismantled a criminal network allegedly responsible for compromising the integrity of recruitment examinations for positions in Delhi Police, among others.Over 16 arrests have been made, including four police officers, sources said. One of them was posted at the IGI Airport police station, a senior airport cop confirmed.The role of former policemen has also surfaced. Multiple suspects were produced in court and taken on remand, documents confirmed. Some of the accused were recently granted bail after exchanges in court.The operation, which has remained a guarded secret for over two months, has exposed a sprawling network of corruption that spans multiple states, including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.The examination was conducted by the Staff Selection Commission and the fallout has prompted Delhi Police to alert SSC regarding the vulnerabilities uncovered during the probe.Senior crime branch officers refused to comment. Special CP (crime) Devesh Srivastava said it was an ongoing, sensitive operation. DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, who led the operation, remained unavailable despite several attempts.Sources said the crime branch has filed three FIRs. One pertains to an operation in Jodhpur by a team led by DCP (crime) Harsh Indora and DCP (east, Jaipur Police) PD Nitya. The gang there was facilitating online cheating in the Delhi Police head constable (ministerial) exam. Three suspects, including two superintendents of the exam centre, were arrested. As the exam was conducted online, the gang enabled cheating through remote desktop applications at a center in Khokhariya, under Banar police station there.The main accused was Pemaram, the center head who assisted several candidates for a bribe. Admit cards of candidates were found from his possession, along with details of conversations regarding money payment.However, this was a “contained attempt” at online cheating. The second FIR, according to police’s submission in court, pertains to a massive, organized racket breaching Delhi Police and other examinations conducted by SSC.What began as a quiet intelligence gathering mission has become a massive crackdown, revealing that the very sanctity of the force’s entry-level assessments has been compromised.The gravity of the situation is underlined by the involvement of insiders. Investigators have confirmed that the operation was an “inside job” orchestrated by individuals entrusted with maintaining the security of the examination process.Exam center owners, technical administrators and facilitators acted as middlemen in the scam.The gang relied on a complex digital infrastructure. The primary modus operandi involved the unauthorized installation of remote desktop applications on computer terminals in the exam centres.This was not a breach achieved from the outside, but rather facilitated by network administrators who deliberately bypassed firewalls to create a secret “digital bridge.” These technicians installed specialized software that allowed external “solvers” — often subject-matter experts stationed at off-site locations — to view the exam questions in real-time.These solvers would then input the correct answers directly into the candidate’s terminal, while the actual candidate sat physically at the desk, merely mimicking the actions of someone taking a test to avoid detection by CCTV cameras or casual observers.This seamless deception was bolstered by the complicity of center superintendents, who provided physical cover for the malpractice. In these compromised centres, invigilators remained stationed away from the rigged terminals, preventing any close inspection of the screens which might have revealed the cursor moving on its own.To maintain the stability of this remote connection, the syndicate utilized high-speed internet for a seamless cheating operation, ensuring there was no lag that could alert the centralized monitoring systems of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC).Coordination was handled through encrypted messaging applications, where the gang synchronized the exact timing of remote logins with the commencement of exam shifts, creating a well-oiled machine of academic fraud.The financial scale of the scam was equally staggering, with the syndicate reportedly demanding between Rs 10 and 15 lakhs per candidate for a guaranteed selection.Candidates were required to surrender their original admit cards and educational certificates as collateral before the examination. These documents were held in the gang’s possession as leverage, to be returned only once the full, exorbitant fee was paid. The result of the contaminated examination was declared recently, sources added.ENDS