PGMET scam probe widens

CID sleuths for Chandigarh to investigate whether the accused were also involved PGIMER fraud in 2012

March 26, 2014 11:18 am | Updated November 17, 2021 12:10 am IST - HYDERABAD:

The scam accused in the Post Graduate Medical Entrance Test (PGMET) held by NTR University of Health Sciences could also have been involved in the entrance test for admission to Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) of Chandigarh in 2012, say police sources.

A team of CID officials probing the PGMET scam went to Chandigarh on Tuesday after receiving vital inputs that some candidates who had attended the PGMET had also appeared for the PGIMER entrance test in 2012. Interestingly, some of the accused in PGIMER test fraud hailed from Andhra Pradesh.

“During the PGIMET, high-end gadgets were used to scan question papers from the exam hall and sent to experts, who in turn, provided the answers. Now, the PGMET case looks suspiciously similar as the question paper could have been leaked much before the test,” revealed police officers, seeking anonymity.

Having ruled out the possibility of mass-copying, CID sleuths are now trying to ascertain how the question paper could have reached the PG medical seat aspirants. Also, whether it happened during the preparation of the question paper at the university itself before it was sent to the printer in Bangalore or during the transit from Bangalore to the health university in Vijayawada?

“We’re yet to find precise answers though every person connected with organising PGMET is a suspect for us now,” they say. Based on a complaint lodged by NTR University of Health Sciences Registrar Babulal, the CID officials registered a case under section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 1997.

The Registrar was in CID office for several hours on Tuesday discussing with the officials about the case.

Registrar protests innocence

“I am no way connected to the scam. I gave a list of possible suspects to the investigators,” he told reporters later. He maintained it was a ‘coincidence’ that he was present at health university when CID officials inspected the records the previous day.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.