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How Sunny Leone and Mia Khalifa made it to Bengal college merit lists

At least 8 colleges across Bengal have suffered on account of an alleged cyber prank that saw their admission merit lists manipulated to reflect names of famous personalities.

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Kolkata: First it was Sunny Leone, then Mia Khalifa. But it wasn’t just former adult-movie stars. Other famous names emerged too, including those of Bollywood singer Neha Kakkar and the wayward Japanese cartoon character Shinchan.

At least eight colleges across West Bengal have suffered on account of an alleged cyber prank that saw their admission merit lists manipulated to reflect names of famous personalities. The colleges affected include the prestigious Asutosh College in Kolkata, the Barasat College and Budge Budge College in North 24 Parganas, and other institutes in Murshidabad, Malda and Siliguri. 

Leone appeared on at least four of these lists, and also had a laugh about the whole episode on Twitter. 

However, the colleges involved didn’t see much humour in the matter and approached the police. The alleged prank is currently the subject of at least six FIRs across Bengal.

The manipulated merit lists came close on the heels of the Mamata Banerjee government waiving application fees for all colleges in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has wrought havoc on many a livelihood.

Speaking to ThePrint, Bengal police officers said preliminary investigations hinted at “security issues” in the software used by colleges, which allowed just about anyone to file an application without seeking any supporting documents or testimonials. 

ThePrint approached West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and the principal secretary for comment through calls, texts and WhatsApp messages, but was yet to receive a response by the time of publishing. 

An official of the state education department, requesting anonymity, said police are investigating the matter. The department, the officer added, is working on the website and would strengthen its security system.


Also Read: Fraud and sexual exploitation prime motives for cyber crimes in country: NCRB data


‘To blacken Asutosh legacy’

The matter came to light late last month when Leone’s name appeared on top of the admission list announced by Asutosh College for BA (Honours) English on 28 August. 

The list, which was posted on the college website, made it clear that admissions were subject to the “verification of original documents”. 

Leone’s name on the list was accompanied by an application ID, besides the roll number assigned to her. Her score for the best-four subjects was a perfect 400. 

Soon after its release, the list went viral, sparking memes and jokes. Embarrassed by the “negative publicity”, the college subsequently filed a complaint with the Kolkata Police cybercrime department. 

In the complaint, a copy of which was accessed by ThePrint, the college alleged the “free application” window was “misused” by an unidentified person who was trying to “blacken the legacy of this prestigious institution”. The complaint also stated that the incident has “led to a lot of adverse publicity in the media, including social media like Facebook and Twitter”.

Soon, similar cases were reported from other colleges. 

Approached for comment, a senior police officer said the investigation is on, but noted that the software used had “security issues”. 

“The software does not ask for a marksheet, Aadhaar card or any identity document. Anyone can go and upload data according to his or her own will,” the officer added.

A second police officer said they had tracked the VPN (virtual private network, which allows online anonymity) and IP addresses of the mischief-makers to Singapore, but added that it does not mean they are operating from there. 

“They can easily use foreign servers. We are working and trying to track them down. But we cannot reveal more details about it for the sake of the investigation,” the officer added.


Also Read: India to get new, ‘robust’ cyber security policy soon, says PM Modi


 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Wow! The writer must be really desperate for views to use such a clickbait headline (& the thumbnail helps a lot I guess). Don’t stoop so low. We expect better from ThePrint

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