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VC’s driver, peon nabbed for PMT paper leak Faridkot, June 12 Addressing a press conference here, SSP M.F. Farooqui said the paper leaked from the binding section of the university about a week before the examination. Ramesh Kumar, a binder at the varsity, and the peon of the VC, Buta Ram, conspired to sneak out the PMT question paper to make quick money. Ramesh succeeded in pilfering a couple of pages of the test paper by keeping them in his socks. Both even dared to get the pages photocopied with the varsity’s xerox machine before circulating these further. The two were not alone in the scam. The driver of the VC, Rakesh Kumar, also joined them. Buta Ram handed him over a handwritten copy of the pages pilfered out of the binding room so as to maintain secrecy. Out of the total 200 questions of the PMT, 88 were leaked. During interrogation, Buta Ram confessed to having sold the paper to one Balwant Singh of Mahabadar village in Muktsar. The deal was struck for Rs 1.5 lakh, of which Rs 50,000 was paid in advance. Buta Ram gave this amount to Ramesh Kumar, who retained the original copy with him. Balwinder Singh further sold a copy of these pages. The SSP said after being thrown out of his job from an ayurvedic college, Balwinder had been running a coaching centre. The police had no idea as to whether any of his relatives appeared in the PMT. Police parties had been dispatched to nab Balwinder Singh.Buta Ram also sold the paper to Dr Vinod Khanna of Ferozepore for Rs 30,000, of which he got Rs 5,000 in advance. Dr Khanna’s son appeared in the PMT and also got selected. Buta Ram didn’t get the remaining amount, as the scam had been detected. He struck another deal and got Rs 25,000 for it. He had also named one or two more persons to whom he sold the paper, but their identities were yet to be established. Rakesh Kumar sold the paper to Nand Kishore, an employee of Government College in Faridkot for Rs 45,000. Nand Kishore’s daughter had appeared in the PMT. Out of the total amount, Rakesh gave Rs 10,000 to one Mr Sharma of Medical College and spent Rs 5,000, while the police had recovered the remaining Rs 30,000 from him. The police had also seized Rs 35,000 from Ramesh Kumar and Rs 25,000 from Buta Ram, besides the original copy and photocopy of the handwritten copy from them. Police teams have also been sent to nab Dr Khanna and Nand Kishore. The SSP attributed the leak of the PMT paper in other parts of the state to the pilferage carried out in the binding phase, as it starts about a week ahead of the entrance exam. He said the paper was circulated mainly in Ludhiana and Moga districts. He said the police was in the process of identifying other people involved in the scam and further arrests would be made as per disclosures of those nabbed. He said the police would also probe whether the leak took place at any other level also. The SSP said those who had purchased the paper would also be made accused in the case. “They are liable to be prosecuted, as they indulged in a criminal activity,” he added. He said the police would also tally the result of those whose parents or relatives had bought paper for them and it would be used as an additional input in making them accused. The SSP said the probe was yet to be transferred to the Vigilance Bureau (VB), but the government orders would soon be followed and the case would be handed over to the VB. He lauded the work of the special investigating team formed under the DSP (D) Bakshish Singh. The police has registered a case against the accused under Sections 379, 420, 406, 409, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120B of the IPC.  |
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