Eamcet-2 paper leak involves doctors, teachers
Colleges tip off criminals who then approach doctors to prepare answer keys of leaked question papers.
Hyderabad: A nexus of educational consultants, private medical college officials and even practicing medical practitioners usually operates to leak question papers of state medical entrance tests, it has been revealed. The 2014 Dr NTR University of Health Sciences PG medical entrance test scam and the 1996 Eamcet scam were pulled off by such gangs.
The modus operandi is that educational consultants chalk out an elaborate plan with tip offs from college officials, and practicing doctors prepare the answer key once the papers are leaked from the printing press. The gang then strikes deals with the candidates for both the question paper and the answer key. There are many similarities in the modus operandi of the past two scams and the newest Eamcet-2 scam.
In the 1,500-page chargesheet filed by the Andhra Pradesh CID on the 2014 PGMET scam, the probe officials had revealed that the kingpins had started preparing to leak the question paper several months before the exam. They had infiltrated Manipal Printing press by placing one of their aides as a casual labourer. The CID officials had submitted CCTV footages in court showing the gang member stealing printed copies of the question papers.
In the ongoing Eamcet-2 question paper leak too, officials suspect a similar modus operandi. The earlier chargesheet had further revealed the kingpins had struck a deal with a practicing doctor named Avinash from Bengaluru to study and prepare answer keys. The doctor had also been arrested by AP CID along with other suspects in 2014. In the present case too, TS CID suspect the hand of a doctor or a student, who prepared the answer key.
In the PGMET case, CID officials submitted 1,421 documents, including call records and bank transaction details in court as evidence, which showed how elaborately the brokers had planned the operation.
As per the chargesheet, as many as 46 suspects including 20 brokers were part of the scam. Soon after the gang was busted in the PGMET case, the CID had warned about more such gangs “active in the state involved in similar scams”, which has now turned out to be true.