2 more arrests reveal ‘deep-rooted’ nature of MBBS exam scam

THE arrest of two more employees from Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences Rohtak (UHSR) has deepened the MBBS exam scam, revealing its extensive nature. These arrests bring the total to five, confirming that the scandal involved not only tampering with answer sheets but also leaking of exam papers.Who were arrested recently?Jitender, a programme assistant, and Sonu, a clerk, were arrested last week by the district police in connection with the MBBS exam scam at the UHSR. Their names emerged during the interrogation of a key accused. Prior to their arrests, three other employees of the UHSR had already been arrested and are now lodged in the jail. The scam was initially exposed by ‘The Tribune’ in January.What role did the employees play?Both Jitender and Sonu are facing allegations of leaking exam papers three times from a centre established on the UHSR campus in May 2024. According to the police investigations, they allegedly struck a deal with the accused to leak the papers in exchange for Rs 30,000 per question paper. On the day of the exam, photographs of the question papers were taken with cell phones and sent via WhatsApp to the accused, who then forwarded them to the students impersonating genuine candidates from a private college. These students completed the answer sheets at the residence of one of the accused, which were later clandestinely re-submitted to the university’s secrecy branch for evaluation.What is the MBBS exam scam?The MBBS exam scam at the UHSR involves a network where university employees and students from private medical colleges allegedly colluded to manipulate exam results. The students allegedly paid between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per subject to ensure they cleared their exams. They used erasable ink pens to write their answer sheets, which were then sneaked out of the university, the writing erased using hair dryers and the answers rewritten with the help of textbooks. The tampered answer sheets were subsequently submitted for evaluation to secure pass marks fraudulently.What was the modus operandi of the racketeers?The racketeers primarily targeted the students from private medical colleges, especially those who had reappeared in their exams. They promised to help these students secure passing marks in exchange for money. Interestingly, several students themselves acted as middlemen for the racket. These intermediaries would reach out to fellow students, offer them the deal, and collect money on behalf of the racketeers. Once the deal was struck, the operation to smuggle answer sheets out of the university began. With the help of certain university employees, these answer sheets were taken out, rewritten with the correct answers, and then secretly re-submitted to the university’s secrecy branch for evaluation.Who is probing the scam and what actions have been taken?In February, an FIR was registered against 41 individuals, including 24 students and 17 university employees, in connection with the MBBS exam scam. The district police are spearheading the investigation, while the academic records of the 30 MBBS students from UHSR are being examined to determine the extent of answer sheet tampering and related irregularities. Additionally, a three-member committee is reviewing answer sheets from all annual and supplementary exams conducted over the past five years at both government and private medical colleges across the state, aiming to uncover any instances of tampering or malpractice.Has any forensic investigation of “tampered” answer sheets been conducted so far?Yes, the UHSR authorities have initiated a forensic investigation into the tampered answer sheets of 30 students by hiring handwriting experts. Last month, these experts collected handwriting samples from the students. In addition, the district police have already sent over 200 answer sheets to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory at Sunaria village for examination. The reports from both investigations are currently awaited.

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