Hyderabad: The Crime Investigation Department on Saturday arrested two consultants and seven MBBS doctors in the state post graduate medical entrance test paper leak scam.
The key accused have been identified as K. Munnishwar Reddy of Vertex Consultants, Banjara Hills, and a broker, D. Sainath, of Karimnagar, who sold each paper to the candidates for Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore, depending on the subject. So far, investigators have identified 25 rankers among the 100 who had purchased the papers and bagged top ranks.
CID additional DG T. Krishna Prasad said, “The scam is a fallout of the greed of brokers and consultants who are dealing with private medical college managements in selling the PG medical seats under management quota. Due to the heavy demand for medical PG, private medical colleges are collecting Rs1 to Rs 1.5 crore for each seat through the brokers. In the process, the consultants and brokers are also making a lot of money. Taking advantage of this, certain consultants and their brokers formed a syndicate and leaked the PG medical entrance paper by collecting money.”
As an initial agreement, the scamsters collected Rs 10 lakh each through online transfers from some of the candidates. The candidates also deposited their original SSC, intermediate and MBBS degrees with the brokers as guarantee that they would pay the remaining amount after the exam. Some of the candidates even gave blank cheques to the scamsters.
Sources said that before the actual exams in February 2014, the “contracted” candidates were given mock tests at secret locations such as at Soham Residency, Siddarth Nagar in Goregaon, Mumbai, Imperial heights in Goregaon and at the residence of one of the accused, Sainath, in Hyderabad, with the leaked question paper and key.
For the radiology paper, they demanded Rs 1.5 crore and for pediatrics, Rs 70 lakh.
“So far, out of 100, we have identified 25 top rankers who had written the exam in March 2014. We will be arresting few other brokers who have been identified. Investigation is still on,” Mr Prasad added.
