Bengal Calls For CBI Probe Into Medical Entrance Test Scam

The West Bengal government is to summon the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine allegations against senior medical students impersonating medical entrance test takers.

"A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe is already on into the scam. If needed we might order a CBI probe," West Bengal Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy told reporters Tuesday.

"The CID has progressed with the probe but if needed we would order a CBI probe," Roy said when asked if the government was contemplating a probe by the federal agency.

In the medical entrance scam that resembled the wacky world of Bollywood film "Munnabhai MBBS", it was found that senior medical students, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, would sit for the entrance exam of medical career aspirants for a fee.

Before the investigation was handed over to the West Bengal CID, the detective department of Kolkata Police had arrested three people Saturday - Mihir Jha and Ranvijay Pathak of Bihar and Ayan Mukhopadhyay of Hooghly district in West Bengal - in connection with the racket.

Jha had passed his MBBS from Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and is now a student of the postgraduate medical course in the SSKM Hospital here. He had secured 12th position in the postgraduate medical entrance exam.

Later, a 25-year-old woman, who allegedly worked as an agent for several distance-learning courses, was arrested from Durgapur, in Burdwan district.

"The racket is spread far and wide. We are tracking down those who are involved. So far, the Kolkata Police Detective Department has arrested four people," deputy commissioner of the department Ajoy Kumar said.

"The case is still in the investigation stage and thus we don't want to reveal any information," he added. The detective department started the probe on June 18 after receiving an anonymous letter about the goings-on.

Following the tip-off, the sleuths raided a house at 230/B A.J.C. Bose Road near Minto Park, central Kolkata, and learnt about an organisation called DAMS which had allegedly been running the medical entrance racket for the last two years.

Most of the dummy examinees are from Uttar Pradesh, usually second or third year medical students. The investigators said that several doctors and medical students were involved in the scam.

According to preliminary investigation, a dummy gets Rs.100,000-150,000 for writing the exam and the agent receives Rs.30,000-40,000 for persuading a candidate to enroll at the coaching institutes that make the arrangements.

Police said the arrested student Mihir Kumar Jha ran an institute called 'Meditrance', which was visited by senior teachers from outside West Bengal as well.

Source-IANS
LIN/C