Hackers call MBA CET aspirants, ask ₹20L for admission in top colleges | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: Hackers leaked data of individuals appearing for Master of Business Administration (MBA) Common Entrance Test (CET) 2025-26, and then approached aspirants with the promise of hacking to increase their marks and ensure their admission in top management colleges in the state.

Azad Maidan Police registered a case on Tuesday based on the complaint given by Abhishek Joshi, a project coordinator with Eduspark International Pvt Ltd. The Crime Branch arrested three people in the case – Abhishek Shrivatsav, Chetan Kumar, Ambrish Kumar – from Delhi on Friday.

Eduspark International Pvt Ltd conducts around 18-19 admission tests and exams for the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) cell. Candidates can who face problems filing application forms here have a helpdesk where they can raise their query and seek help, said the police officer.

Various candidates who had filled the forms online for MBA-CET approached the helpdesk in February claiming that they were contacted over phone by unknown people who promised them admission in high-profile colleges like the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) or Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, The Department of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University (PUMBA). “The unknown people stole the data of the candidates appearing for this year’s MBA-CET exams, called and promised them huge percentiles to get admissions in top colleges and even demanded ₹10 to ₹20 lakhs,” said police.

When the portal authorities learnt about the issue, they informed the State CET, which conducted an inquiry into the matter and submitted a report to Commissioner State CET, who approached the Mumbai Police on March 13.