CCB registers case in School Edu Dept plaint on data theft; 1 detained

CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has registered a case and launched a hunt for suspects in the complaint filed by school education department alleging theft of students' data. The cyber crime wing launched a trace on the suspect based on the complaint and has detained one person from Bengaluru, police sources said.

Police had booked a case under Sections 420 (cheating) of the IPC and Sections of IT (Information Technology Act)

On Monday, the State School Education Department has filed a complaint with City Police Commissioner's office seeking enquiry and action against their own staff who allegedly sold data of thousands of school students to higher educational institutions.

The complaint follows a long-pending allegation which was exposed again in television media recently. District Education Officer (DEO), R Punniyakotti, in his complaint to the City Police Commissioner, stated that the school education department has took notice of the news reports and has reason to believe that an individual is selling the personal data of school students, including their names and phone numbers, to third parties for a price.

"This individual is reportedly sharing the contact details of students from 20 districts upon receiving payment through online transactions. We strongly condemn this act of illegal sale of personal data, which not only violates the privacy of students but also puts their safety and security at risk," Punniyakotti stated in his complaint.

According to media reports, colleges and education consultancies were getting student details compiled on a CD from a few education department officials. The reports further contended that education officers in the headquarters and other districts have also been selling student data using the Education Information Management System (EMIS) portal.