Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Samiullah Soomro has confirmed that four suspects involved in leaking matric examination papers have been arrested in Karachi.

Talking to media on Tuesday, Soomro said that Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Azad Khan and Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi had directed law enforcement agencies to control cheating during ongoing matric exams.

He stated that authorities traced at least eight WhatsApp groups where exam papers were being shared before the tests.

Acting on a tip-off, the SIU carried out raids in different areas and arrested four suspects, including Mobin Khan, a final-year cybersecurity student.

During interrogation, Khan disclosed that at least 13 WhatsApp groups had been created for leaking papers, with each group having nearly 1,000 students, the SSP said.

He further revealed that the suspect was charging between Rs800 and Rs1,200 from each student and had made around Rs250,000 within a short period.

According to the police officer, Khan was using a United Kingdom (UK) mobile number for the conversations.

Three other suspects, identified as Abdul Razzaq, Bilal and Mohammed Usama, were also taken into custody during the operation.

Soomro said that investigators later found that two more gangs were also involved in leaking examination papers, raising the total number of such groups under investigation to 10.

He added that an FIR (First Information Report) had been registered against the four suspects under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Telegraph Act, while further investigation is underway.