The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has written to all private medical colleges in the State to furnish details of all MBBS admissions since 2008.
The move is part of the investigation into a scam that came to light after a group of medical students from Bihar were arrested at the Kempedgowda International Airport (KIA) in May for alleged impersonation at the entrance test conducted by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K). Speaking to Express, Bipin Gopala Krishna, DG CID said, “The letters have been sent to the colleges concerned and once we receive replies, we will initiate further action.”
The details sought by the CID include total number of applications, number of answer scripts and surrendered seats.
What is the Case About?
On May 14, personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stationed at KIA helped police bust a seat blocking racket in professional medical courses. Eight medical students were arrested on that day as they were trying to flee to their respective States. An impersonation case was booked against them related to the COMED-K entrance test held at that time.
The students, from Bihar and Jharkhand, were studying medicine in colleges across the country. The CISF personnel casually questioned three of them when they were waiting at the airport. The CISF grew suspicious over their evasive replies and asked them to produce IDs. The details on the ID cards did not match the information they had provided for the tests.
A Well-oiled Racket
According to sources from CID, it was an inter-State seat-blocking racket. Medical students from Bihar and Jharkhand were hired to write entrance tests conducted by private colleges under fake identities and secure high marks given their knowledge. Once a seat was awarded, a local tout, who was the link between the private college managements and the impersonator, ensured that it was not taken. This way, the colleges retained the seat under management quota. These seats were then sold at exorbitant prices and the money shared between touts and the colleges, with the impersonators getting a small share.
The CID sources said the investigation was being fast-tracked as the dates for entrance tests for professional courses for 2014-15 have already been announced. “The details, which we have asked for, cannot be forged and the involvement of college managements in the seat blocking scam will be probed,” a CID official added.