Two suspects have been arrested for tampering with academic records at Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF) in exchange for money, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Monday.
A technical examination of the university’s audit records uncovered 72 unauthorised changes affecting the academic records of 33 students across 12 degree programmes. The arrests followed a complaint filed by the GCUF deputy registrar.
Investigators said the suspects charged students around Rs15,000 per subject to alter marks, grades or attendance records, with some students’ records changed in more than one subject.
Payments were routed through a network of intermediary and merchant accounts before being withdrawn in cash, and several transactions were cross-checked against the university’s audit trail, which recorded the unauthorised alterations.
The arrested suspects, identified as Ahsan Shafiq and Nauman Jaffer, allegedly received the payments and arranged their transfer and withdrawal through multiple accounts. Both possess expertise in web development and online systems, officials said.
NCCIA Punjab Director Hassam Bin Iqbal said the agency would continue action against those involved in illegally accessing educational institutions’ online systems and tampering with academic records.
