The 43-year-old man, who also worked as a part-time tutor and held a PhD in electrical engineering, received a 3-year prison sentence from Liverpool Royal Court on 17/6/2023.
Court testimony revealed Adnan earned 300,000 pounds, a figure significantly lower than initial suspicions which suggested he might have amassed up to 2 million pounds.
His elaborate scheme came to light in 2/2023 when one of his "clients" inadvertently exposed the operation by submitting a USB drive as part of an exam.
Dr. Tom Berry, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at Liverpool John Moores University, found a cache of documents on the USB drive. These documents contained student usernames, passwords, assignment submission dates, and financial details.
Police received the evidence for investigation.
Analysis of the storage device revealed it had been used by Adnan. Subsequently, two laptops seized from his residence were found to contain usernames and passwords belonging to 124 students across approximately 10 universities.
The delivery driver's luxury lifestyle
Police discovered that his bank accounts had received transfers "far exceeding what he could earn from any legitimate employment" over the preceding 5 years.
During a search of his home, authorities found two luxury cars: a BMW 5 Series and an Audi A4, along with 5,500 pounds in cash.
Merseyside Police stated that Adnan would log into student accounts and complete online exams for them, charging substantial fees. This income funded a lifestyle far beyond his declared assets.
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Shahid Adnan. *Photo: Merseyside Police* |
Adnan's lawyer discussed the earnings from the scheme with the court. While initial estimates suggested over 2 million pounds, an audit report significantly reduced this figure, ultimately attributing 300,000 pounds to him.
Adnan pleaded guilty. The court acknowledged his "good character" but noted his descent into a "prolonged and sophisticated" criminal enterprise.
Authorities did not release the names of the universities whose students were Adnan's clients.
By Hai Thu (Source: The Telegraph)
